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Copyright 1915 

BY 

Frank P. Cheesman 


(-EB "6 


NINTH EDITION 


The REVIEW of 

Technical Paints 


By 


FRANK P. CHEESMAN 

'\ 

Member 


N. Y. Railroad Club 
Society of Chemical Industry 
American Society for Testing Material 
National Paint Oil & Varnish Association 
Paint Manufacturers’ Association of the U. S. 


PUBLISHED BY 

CHEESMAN & ELLIOT 

TECHNICAL PAINT MAKERS 

> 

Established 1876 


Sole Owners of 

NATIONAL PAINT WORKS 


WORKS 

WILLIAMSPORT, PA. BROOKLYN, N. Y. 

MAIN OFFICE 

100 WILLIAM STREET - - NEW YORK 











INDEX 




PAGES 

Acheson Graphite Paint . 

.42, 43 

Acids . 

. 17 

Asphaltum . 

. 16 

Atlantic City Paint Test. 

.20, 22 


Basic Lead Chromate . 22 

Bitumen . 16 


Blue Lead . 





18, 

20, 

21, 

22, 

33 

Bridge Painting . 









28 

Brushes . 








. .9, 

33 

Building Paints . 









51 

Carbon Blacks . 






16, 

22, 

36, 

37 

Cement Coatings . 







25, 

26, 

27 

Climate . 









12 

Coal Docks . 









37 

Color Cards . 









8 

Combination Paint . 









12 

Concrete . 









47 

Concrete Floor Paints . 









35 

Covering Power . 









13 

Deleterious Gases . 

:. 







.17, 

36 

Density . 









13 

Driers . 









23 

Elasticity . 









12 

Electrolysis . 







16, 

17, 

26 

Elevated Railways . 









52 

Enamels . 







10, 

27, 

50 

Fine Grinding . 









14 

Freight Car Paint . 









51 

Galvanized Iron Protection . 







.10, 

18, 

46 

Gas Holder Paint . 








.40, 

42 

Graphite . 





19, 

21, 

22, 

36, 

42 

Grillage Black . 









20 

Gun Paints . 









48 

Havre de Grace Paint Test. 









13 

Heat . 









18 

Hiding Power . 









14 

Information Office . 









8 

Interior Paints . 








.10, 

50 

Linseed Oil . .<■. 

.9. 

13, 18, 

22, 

23, 

24, 

25, 

32, 

36, 

40 

Lithophone . 









22 

Magnetic Bl&ek Oxide. 






18. 

22, 

32, 

33 

Marine Paints . 









48 

Mill Scale . 









15 

Moisture . 








• 17, 

28 

NaPaWork Flat Finishes . 





.10, 

27, 

34, 

35, 

50 

No. 16 Carbon Black . 


..6, 9. 

10, 

13, 

21, 

30, 

35, 

37, 

41 

No. 31 Red Oxide.6, 9, 

10, 17, 20, 21, 25, 

27, 30, 

34, 

39, 

40, 

44, 

47, 

48, 

49 

No. 32 Pure Graphite . 







21, 

30, 

42 

No. 51 Red Oxide . 









15 

No. 54 Oxide and Carbon . 







..9, 

42, 

49 

No. 57 Inside Flat White . 






.10, 

30, 

35, 

51 

No. 200 Red Lead . 









20 

No. 250 Blue Lead . 






20, 

21, 

30, 

43 

No. 300 Red Lead. 




20, 

30, 

35, 

39, 

45, 

46 

No. 400 Carbon Black . 







.13, 

39, 

45 

No. 401 Carbon and Oxide . 






. 35, 

39, 

45, 

46 

No. 402 Carbon and Oxide . 









46 

No. 500 Black Metal Protector . . . 








• 17, 

35 


©CI.A394B93 

1^0 / 





























































INDEX —Continued. 

PAGES 

No. 625 Galvanized Iron Primer .10, 18, 20, 29, 34, 46 

No. 700 Red Lead and Graphite .19, 20, 21, 35, 47 

No. 750 Smoke Stack Black ..18, 30, 35 

No. 755 Subway Black .9, 25, 26, 27, 47, 49 

No. 760 Grillage Black . 20 

No. 800 Red Lead and Oxide . 20 

No. 1625 Acid Proof Black . 17 

Orders . 8 

Oxides .18, 20, 22, 32, 36 

Paint Estimating .>.. .. 34 

Paint Specification . 9 

Peeling .17, 24, 46 

Pickling . 15 

Pigment .13, 14, 18, 25, 36 

Power Plants . 35 

Price Lists . 8 

Radiator Enamels . 34 

Red Lead.18, 19, 22, 36, 40, 44 

Rust .15, 24 

Salt Brine . 47 

Salt Water Exposures . 47 

Sand Blast .15, 28 

Smoke Stacks ..18, 30, 35 

Specification Paints . 52 

Spreading Power .13, 14 

Station Paints . 51 

Steel Car Paint . f . 32 

Structural Iron Paint . 49 

Structural Steel Paints . 49 

Sugar Mills . 30 

Sun Exposure . 16 

Vehicle .13, 14, 18, 22, 36 

Washable Finish . 10 

Williamsport Red . 40 




































6 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 



Erected 1913. Simon & Bassett, Philadelphia, Architects. No. 31 Red Oxide used for shop and first field coat. No. 16 Carbon Black used 
for second field coat on all structural steel of this pier. 

















TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


7 


FOREWORD 


I N 1876 William G. Elliot founded the National Paint Works at 
Williamsport, Pa. 

He believed that the only way to obtain the best painting results 
was to first study the climatic and other conditions to which a paint 
was to be subjected, and then make the paint to suit the work. 

Forty years have seen many improvements in the manufacture of 
paint. New problems have arisen which demanded new solutions, but 
the basic idea which more than any other factor has given the firm of 
Cheesman & Elliot the position it now holds, has not changed. 


Six years after the foundation of the firm, the business had increased 
sufficiently to necessitate a partner. William H. Loomis, then in a sales 
capacity, was made a partner. 


That partnership continued until 1903, when Frank P. Cheesman, who 
had been identified for nearly twenty years with two leading houses in 
the paint and varnish trade, bought the interests of Mr. Loomis. 


Two years later Mr. Elliot died and was succeeded by his son, 
Norman Elliot. Ever increasing business demanded greater productions 
and made necessary many changes. The main office was moved to 
New York. The capacity of the Williamsport plant was doubled in 1906 
and in 1912 a new factory was opened in Brooklyn, larger in capacity 
than the Williamsport plant, and both are now being operated. 

Our object in issuing the Ninth Review of Technical Paints is to 
give our customers, and others interested, the benefit of our years of 
experience, together with authentic paint information. Any statements 
contained in this book may be considered absolutely authoritative. 


Everything we produce is custom made, thus insuring fresh stock 
and individual attention to each order. A large amount of raw material 
is constantly on hand, and we guarantee shipment within twenty-four 
working hours of an order’s receipt. 

The test of time has proven the idea which has contributed so largely 
to our success to be a fact. In 1915, as in 1876, the main plank in our 
sales platform is: “To obtain the best painting results the paint must be 
manufactured in accordance with the special requirements of the work.” 


CHEESMAN & ELLIOT. 


8 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


Please Read Before Ordering. 

An inquiry regarding any of our products, price list, color cards, or a 
request for information or advice will receive prompt attention if ad¬ 
dressed to Cheesman & Elliot, 100 William Street, New York City. Our 
Mr. Cheesman give's his personal attention to all such requests. 

We do not carry stock made up, but manufacture everything to order. 
Shipment is guaranteed within twenty-four working hours after your 
order is received, and as a rule, we will ship within twelve hours. 

If you cannot find a satisfactory shade on our color cards, send us a 
sample showing shade desired and we will match it exactly. 

When writing us relative to an order, give all possible information. 

Tell us— 

What is to be painted? (Galvanized iron, steel, tin, brick, copper, . 
wood, etc.) 

How many coats are you going to apply? 

How much time will you allow for drying between coats? 

If painted before, what was used, and what is its condition now? 

What kind of exposure? (Sun, water, gases, etc.) 

How is it to be applied? (Brushed, dipped or sprayed.) 

PAINTING FACTS. 

More paint is spoiled in the application than from any other cause. 

A package of paint should be well stirred before using. Remove head 
of package and mix thoroughly with a broad, flat paddle. A round, 
medium-sized brush is far superior to a broad, flat brush. In cold 
weather, ten to twenty per cent, more paint is needed to cover a surface 
than in a temperature of from sixty to seventy-five degrees. Cutting 
down the proper time for drying is lessening durability. Be sure the paint 
is dry before applying second coat. Brush out well. Two thin coats are 
better than one thick coat. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


9 


Paint Specifications. 

For the general guidance of engineers, architects, and others, the 
following specifications are recommended as the best for certain general 
classes of work. If unusual conditions are to be met, it would be best 
to advise us concerning them in detail, so that we can make recommen¬ 
dations to meet the special requirements. 


SPECIFICATION NO. 1. 

BRIDGE AND STRUCTURAL STEEL, CORRUGATED 

IRON, ETC. 

Cleaning of Metal. —No paint to be applied until the metal has been 
carefully and thoroughly cleaned of all mill scale, rust, dirt, grease or other 
foreign substances, and the metal must be absolutely free from moisture. 

Shop Coat. —Immediately after the metal has been cleaned, and while 
still bright, the first coat of paint shall be carefully applied, and shall 
consist of Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 31 RED OXIDE. This coat shall 
be thoroughly brushed into the pores of the metal with suitable brushes, 
not over 4 inches in width, with stiff bristles. 

Field Coats. —The first field coat shall be Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 54 
OXIDE & GRAPHITE, and shall be applied after the erection of the 
steel. The finishing coat shall be Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 16 CARBON 
BLACK. (If only one field coat is to be applied, use No. 16.) 

General Conditions. —No coat of paint shall be applied until the 
previous coat is thoroughly dry and hard, and in no case shall any 
painting be done until at least five days have elapsed since the application 
of the previous coat. 

No painting shall be done during wet or foggy weather. 

All paint shall be purchased direct from the manufacturer and de¬ 
livered to the work in original sealed packages. Paint must be kept 
thoroughly stirred to an even consistency, and no thinning to be allowed 
except by the addition of pure linseed oil, and only on approval of the 
engineer. 


SPECIFICATION NO. 2. 

STRUCTURAL STEEL TO BE ENCLOSED IN CON¬ 
CRETE, ETC. 

Cleaning of Metal. — (Same as in Specification No. 1.) 

Shop Coat. —(Same as in Specification No. 1.) 

Final Coat. —The final coat shall be applied after erection and shall 
consist of Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 755 SUBWAY BLACK, applied as 
received from the manufacturer without thinning of any kind. 

General Conditions. — (Same as in Specification No. 1, except as 
applied to thinning.) 


10 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


SPECIFICATION NO. 3. 

GALVANIZED IRON. 

Cleaning. —All dirt and dust shall be carefully brushed off the metal. 

First Coat. —Immediately after the metal has been cleaned, the first 
coat of paint shall be applied, and shall consist of Cheesman & Elliot’s 
No. 625 GALVANIZED IRON PRIMER. No thinning of any kind 
shall be done to this paint. (Note.—On account of the gums used in this 
paint very cold weather may cause it to thicken. In such a case, if 
necessary to paint in cold weather, pure spirits of turpentine may be added 
to the paint in order to secure proper spreading. But thinning should 
not be done unless absolutely necessary.) 

Finishing Coats. —No. 16 CARBON BLACK or any of our Standard 
Paints may be used successfully over No. 625 GALVANIZED IRON 
PRIMER. 

General Conditions. — (Same as in Specification No. 1, except as 
applied to thinning.) 


SPECIFICATION NO. 4. 

INTERIOR WALLS, CEILINGS, ETC. 

For a Durable, Flat, White, Washable Finish. —Use one or two coats 
(according to kind of surface) of Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 57 NaPaWork 
INSIDE FLAT WHITE, allowing sufficient time between coats for 
thorough drying. It is suitable for brick, concrete, plaster, wood or metal, 
and we recommend that when used over metal, a priming coat of No. 31 
RED OXIDE should first be applied. 

For a Durable, Flat, Washable Finish in Colors. —Use one or two 
coats (according to kind of surface) of Cheesman & Elliot’s NaPaWork 
INSIDE FLAT FINISH in the color selected. These finishes are fur¬ 
nished in all shades and tints. 

For a Durable, Gloss, White, Washable Finish. —Use one or two coats 
of Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 57 NaPaWork INSIDE FLAT WHITE, 
followed by a coat of Cheesman & Elliot’s “SunWite” ENAMEL, allowing 
sufficient drying time between coats. This will produce an excellent and 
lasting white finish. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


11 



THE AUTHOR. 

The Review 
of 

Technical Paints. 

A greater advance has been made in technical paint knowledge during 
the last ten years than ever before in the history of the trade. This has 
been due largely to the experiments conducted under the auspices of the 
various associations, such as the Paint Manufacturers, the American 
Society for Testing Materials, the Society of Chemical Industry and others. 

The use of structural iron for the erection of buildings is of a com¬ 
parative recent date, as the first building erected in the United States with 
iron girders and joists was the Bank of the State of New York, built in 
New York City about 1850. It has been within the past twenty-five years 
that structural steel has come into general use for the erection of large 
buildings. The quality and construction of structural iron or steel used 
today is quite different from that originally used, and this has necessitated 
a change in the composition of paints suitable for use on structural metal. 

It would seem that the large consumers of paint, as well as many of 
the paint makers, have at last been brought around to our point of view, 
and they now recognize that the policy we have followed during forty 
years, of making the paint to' order and changing the formula to suit the 
climate, surface, exposure, etc., is a scientific and technical method of 
manufacturing paints to secure the best results. 








12 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


In the 1904 edition of our Review of Technical Paints we stated: 

“The manufacturer should also know the conditions under which his 
paint is to be used, otherwise perfect results in some locations will prove 
a failure elsewhere. He should know the climatic conditions, whether it 
will be a rush job, or whether proper time will be allowed between coats, 
will skilled workmen be employed or poor ones, and how many coats are 
to be applied? In solving these questions, you can see how much more 
valuable service can be rendered by a manufacturer like ourselves, which 
makes up the paint especially for each order so as to be suitable for these 
different requirements. This is where our success as regards durability 
has mainly been derived from.” 

The above is just as true in 1915 as it was when written in 1904. 

We have also claimed for over thirty-five years that a combination 
paint, made from two or more selected pigments, is superior in durability 
to a single pigment paint, and we quote from our Review, published in 
1896, copies of which are on file at our New York office: 

“Too much of anything is not so good as just enough. For instance, 
White Lead is improved and made much better and more durable by 
adding a proper proportion of zinc. Oxide of iron can be reduced in 
amount of sesqui-oxide and the paint improved and cost reduced. Dr. 
C. B. Dudley reduced the amount of sesqui-oxide in P. R. R. Standard 
specifications from 50 to 25 per cent., and increased the amount of inert 
material. Numerous engineers think that the oxides of iron that run 
from 80 to 95 per cent, of iron are the best. This is not a fact. We have 
secured better results by reducing the oxide.” 

The above statement has been approved by the Scientific Section of 
the Paint Manufacturers’ Association, who have spent thousands of 
dollars in field tests, and we refer to their booklets, especially bulletins 
numbers 26, 27 and 28, as confirming largely our views and statements 
made many years before the Paint Manufacturers’ Association was even 
organized. 

We quote from a paper read before the Soc. of Chem. Industry, 
written by the chief chemist of a prominent lead company: 

There is not, in my opinion, any pigment which for general work gives its best 
results when used alone. 

Straight zinc oxide is too fine and makes a very hard coat. 

Sublimed white lead is also too fine. 

Lead carbonate is chemically too unstable. 

And so through the entire list of painting materials, we find for each substance 
certain deficiencies which can be remedied by addition of other ingredients possessing 
the particular characteristic desired. 

If it appears from the stress I have laid on this property of fineness that I con¬ 
sider it in any sense a detriment, I will say that this is very far from being the case. 
The finer the better is an invariable rule for the major pigment in any paint but there 
is an undoubted advantage in having present a minor proportion of coarser particles. 

The selection of the particular type of coarse particle is a matter for the judgment 
of the paint compounder, but it is worth notice that those mixtures which are gener¬ 
ally giving the best service are characterized by the presence of a crystalline ingre¬ 
dient of sharp angularity and chemical stability. 

Elasticity is an important feature in the durability of a paint for metal, 
and this depends more upon the vehicle than the pigment; therefore a 
proper combination of the two is required. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


13 


Covering power is an important item to be considered. This is used 
to designate two different properties of a paint, hence must be definitely 
expressed. First, covering power means the amount of surface which a 
gallon of paint will cover with a given number of coats. Second, covering 
power means the density of a paint, as, for instance, it will take four coats 
of white lead to cover up a surface that two coats of iron oxide paint will 
hide or cover equally as well. In order to distinguish these two we will 
call the first, Spreading Power, and the second, Hiding Power. 

Spreading Power .—The spreading power of a mixed paint is depend¬ 
ent upon its viscosity. The thinner the paint the more surface it will 
cover and the film of paint will also be thinner, hence it is the vehicle or 
liquid in the paint which gives the spreading power. 

It is therefore ridiculous, as well as false, to claim that a paint made 
with linseed oil as a vehicle can spread as much or more than a gallon of 
linseed oil will cover without any pigment in it. It is a well-known 
rule that for every pound of pigment added to the vehicle you must sub¬ 
tract spreading power. Approximately one gallon (7.50 lbs.) of raw 
linseed oil will spread over 350 square feet of dry soft wood (absorbent 
surface), over 650 square feet of hard wood (semi-absorbent), and 
about 1200 square feet of steel (non-absorbent surface). 

Careless spreading of paint will cause a lack of uniformity of thick¬ 
ness of a coating, so that in any case the attainment of an average 
estimate of thickness cannot be depended upon. When, however, a paint 
is advertised to cover 1000 square feet to the gallon it means necessarily 
that the coating must average less than 1-576 inch thick, which may be 
compared with thin tissue paper. 

A basis whereby deductions may be made to approximate the average 
thickness of a coat of paint on a smooth flat surface, which does not 
absorb any of the paint, may be readily calculated in the following manner: 

A legal standard United States gallon contains 231 cubic inches, and if 
one gallon of paint is spread over a surface containing 231 square feet, the 
wet paint will average 1-144 inch thick. In like manner, should the paint 
be spread twice as far and cover 462 square feet to the gallon, its thickness 
would be 1-288 inch, which can be compared to the thickness of the leaves 
of a book having 288 pages to the inch. 

Carbon paints, like our No. 16, have a spreading power for one coat 
on metal of about 850 square feet, graphite about 800, oxide of iron and 
blue lead paints about 650, white lead about 550, red lead about 500. 
These figures only apply when the paint is applied to a surface properly 
prepared and at a temperature of not below 65 degrees; at a lower tem¬ 
perature they will cover from 10 to 25 per cent, less surface. 

In the 1914 report of the American Society for Testing Material, 
the Inspection Committee on the Havre de Grace Bridge Paint states 
that the four paints in Class 1 which received the highest mark, the 
spreading power of three of them was 600 square feet and the other 
was 900. This supports our statement that there is a limit to the proper 
spreading power of a paint, and that limit we reach with No. 400. When 


14 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 




you go beyond 850 square feet per gallon spreading power, you are 
doing it at the expense of durability, as it has been clearly proven that 
the most durable paints are those which contain a large percentage of 
pigment to the square inch of surface, and it is only because carbon black 
is the finest and bulkiest pigment we can use, that we get such a large 
spreading power without injury to durability. 

The vehicle is the weak link of the paint chain, and the pigment which 
best protects the vehicle, or liquid portion of the paint the longest from 
decay, makes the best paint; when you reduce the amount of pigment, as 
a rule it increases your spreading power, but when you reduce it so 
greatly as to not properly protect your vehicle from decay then you 
sacrifice durability for spreading power. 

The finer a pigment is ground both in dry and paste form the greater 
your durability, because it surrounds the vehicle closer and therefore 
protects it better. Fine grinding also increases your spreading power, and 
this explains why we can give at least 15 per cent, greater spreading 
power and durability with up-to-date machine mixed paints than can be 
obtained from hand mixed. It is also a good plan to dry mix some pig¬ 
ments before adding the vehicles, as they can be more intimately combined 
dry than wet. 

Hiding Power. —When a hard, thick surface is desired we must 
use a high percentage of pigment, and where elasticity is the first con¬ 
sideration we must use a large percentage of non-volatile vehicle, and 
secure proper thickness by an increased number of coatings. 


WHAT CAUSES PAINT TO DECAY? 

1. Poor Surface and Improper Application. 

2. Sun. 

3. Moisture. 

4. Mechanical Injury, Abrasions, Expansion and Contraction. 

5. Deleterious Gases. 

6. Electrolysis. 

7. Peeling. 

8. Heat. 

i. Poor Surface and Improper Application. 

As before stated, more paint is ruined by improper application than in 
any other way ; hence, we class it as the greatest cause for the failure of 
paint. It has been our experience that not once in fifty times is the surface 
entirely free from corrosion, mill-scale, grease and dirt when the paint is 
applied. The metal painter is usually not skilled in the art of painting, 
and the paint is applied under various degrees of temperature and 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


15 


moisture, often rained, frosted or snowed on before dry; also frequently 
thinned with cheap, worthless oils and japans, and it is a wonder that 
under these conditions, it stands as well as it does. 

The character of the surface on which paint is applied has a great 
influence on the durability of the coating. 

If the steel is rolled cold or nearly cold the scale will come off much 
quicker and easier than if it is rolled hot; when rolled hot the scale is 
pressed in and takes many months frequently before working free, then it 
carries the paint with it. 

Pickling the metal at the mill was formerly considered the best method 
for removing mill-scale, but it would now seem that the sand-blast is 
better. It costs from $1.00 to $2.00 per ton for pickling, and from 80 
cents to $2.00 per ton for sand-blasting. When the metal is not cleaned 
at the mill to obtain the greatest durability on work that can be reached 
to be cleaned off, it would be best to apply only a shop coat of our No. 51 
Red Oxide, then after this is allowed to stand from six months to a year 
depending upon whether the steel was hot or cold rolled, this first coating 
should be completely removed by burning off with the painter’s torch, first 
giving the metal a coat of benzine. This is our first choice, as it removes 
the moisture as well as the scale. Sand-blasting is a second choice, or 
with wire brushes, which, however, do not do the work as well as it should 
be done. After cleaning, two, or better still, three coats of paint should 
be applied, the kind of paint depending on location, climate and condition 
of exposure. 

We regret to say, however, that we do not believe that this ideal 
method of properly preparing the surface will be followed by many, as 
they will think it rather expensive, and yet it would prove itself the 
cheapest in the long run. 

One thing must be remembered, however, and we quote Mr. Emil 
Swensson, M. Am. Soc. C. E., as one of the best authorities on this, and 
that is: 

“That on some steel it is impossible to get anything that will stand, as the steel 
will eat up and destroy any protective coating that can be applied, and the paint that 
stands so well on one structure will go to pieces on another, simply due to this cause, 
and it should not be blamed for its quick destruction.” 

The following extract is from a paper read by G. W. Thompson before 
the Amer. Inst, of Chemical Engineers, June 22, 1910: 

“By corrosion of iron and steel we refer to the oxidation which takes place at 
ordinary temperature, with the formation of rust. Rust approximates the following 
formula:— 

Fe 2 0 3 ,3H 2 0, 

although all rust does not exactly conform to this formula. 

A sample of rust, obtained by exposing a thoroughly cleaned piece of steel, that 
is a steel which had been pickled to remove scale, etc., analyzed as follows:— 

Per Cent. 


Hygroscopic moisture . 8.83 

Combined water (including C0 2 0.17 per cent). 21.45 

Ferric oxide (equivalent to iron 48.28 per cent). 68.97 

Silica ...... 26 


99.51 







16 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


The ratio between the combined water and the ferric oxide corresponds approxi¬ 
mately to the chemical formula given. 

It is to be noted, however, that, in addition to what is known as the combined 
water, it contains a relatively large amount of hygroscopic water. The nearly 9 per 
cent, of hygroscopic water shown in the above analysis corresponds to nearly 30 per 
cent, of water by volume. 

A very important consideration in connection with the formation of rust is this: 
The specific gravity of iron is about 8.70, and the specific gravity of rust is about 
3.70. If the iron and the rust are strictly pure and of theoretical composition the 
iron shows an increase in volume in conversion to rust equal to 336 per cent.; that 
is, 100 parts of iron becomes 436 parts of rust by volume. 

Rust often has associated with it the mill scale, which is formed in the process 
of rolling or other hot treatment, this scale consisting of slag and oxides of iron, 
more or less similar to magnetic oxide. 

If we consider a rusting surface together with its atmospheric surroundings as a 
material system, corrosion may be due to forces operating within that system or to 
forces coming from without the system such as straight electric currents. Corrosion 
of the former kind should be considered as primary corrosion and the latter kind 
secondary corrosion. Primary corrosion may also be considered as autogenous. In 
the terms of the electrolytic theory of corrosion primary corrosion is due to primary 
or autogenous electrolysis, while secondary corrosion is due to secondary electrolysis. 

The prime material factors in corrosion are air and moisture, and the action 
of air and moisture is accelerated or retarded by other factors. 

There can be no question but that iron and steel should be as thoroughly cleaned 
at the shop as possible. We have a feeling that more attention at some time in the 
future will be given to this phase of the subject, and that the producers of steel will 
work towards the production of a polished surface. 

It is desirable that each coat of paint have a distinct color, so that the painting- 
can be inspected and imperfections in the workmanship observed. For this reason 
it is not wise to select paints for all coats of exactly the same composition. By far 
the greater part of the failure in the protection of iron and steel by the application 
of paint is due to poor workmanship, and from this standpoint alone the selection of 
the color of each paint coating is an important matter. The use of linseed oil as a 
priming coat is to be condemned. 


2 . Sun. 

It is easier to make a paint to stand underground, or under water 
exposure, than sun exposure with its different degrees of heat, causing 
expansion and contraction, and also drying up the vehicle which furnishes 
binding and elastic qualities to the paint. 

A paint which contains bitumen or asphaltum as its leading pigment 
should not be used where exposed to the sun. 

The ability of certain pigments to absorb, and of other pigments to 
prevent the passage of ultra-violet rays no doubt has some bearing upon 
their action in a paint. The reflection of light by white paints might tend 
to preserve any delicate colors underneath them, while black paints have 
the contrary effect. Black pigments, such as lampblack and carbon black, 
are very slow driers, and tend to form films with linseed oil, which are 
for some period excellent excluders, remaining quite elastic and durable. 
The chemical and heat rays of the sun, absorbed according to the selective 
action of the pigment, undoubtedly have some effect upon the drying and 
longevity of the oil. 

A dark colored paint, other things being equal, stands weather better 
than white paint, because it does not allow the penetration of the actinic 
rays to which a great deal of destruction is due. 

In tropical countries a bright orange yellow shade, like our No. 214 
Florida East Coast R. R. Yellow, seems to be the most durable for a 
finishing coat, provided high grade pigments are used in producing 
the shade. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


17 


3. Moisture. 

Rain water carries quite a percentage of ammonia and oxygen and 
these destroy paint. If the surface to which the paint is applied is wet, 
it will cause the paint to peel and blister; if the paint is rained on before 
dry, it will absorb a percentage of moisture that will give trouble later 
on. A paint that is alternately wet and dry will not last as long as one 
that is either wet or dry at all times. Hail, snow and ice, thawing and 
freezing, rain and its evaporation, attack vigorously the organic properties 
of the vehicle in a paint. 

4. Mechanical Injuries. 

Under this heading we can class abrasions, strains due to wind 
pressure, passage of trains, etc., and expansion and contraction due to 
temperature changes. 

5. Deleterious Gases, Acids, Etc. 

Sulphureted hydrogen, ammonia, sulphurous, carbonic and nitric acids 
and other fumes are active promoters of corrosion. Salt brine from 
refrigerator cars and sulphur water from coal cars are very destructive 
to railway bridges. We recommend our No. 31 Williamsport Red Oxide 
for salt brine exposure, on bridges, and our No. 1625 Acid Proof Black 
Paint for acid exposure. 

6. Electrolysis. 

This, as defined now, is chemical decomposition effected by means of 
an electric current. The current on its return from its work to its 
generating source will come by the shortest and best circuit. If its own 
conductor does not furnish this, then the current will jump to a better 
circuit, and on the new route wherever it leaves the metal another jump 
will occur and corrosion will take place there and not where the current 
entered. Paints under fancy names are extensively advertised as being 
absolute proof against electrolysis. Such statements are misleading; some 
pigments are partially non-electric and stand better than others, but none 
gives perfect protection. The best pigment is lampblack in combination 
with fossil and high-grade asphaltum gums. Our No. 500 Black Metal 
Protector, which is made along these lines, is the best for use on under¬ 
ground work exposed to electrolysis, especially when applied over a shop 
coat of our No. 31 Williamsport Red Oxide. 

7. Peeling. 

There is a great difference in paints as to their power to adhere to 
various surfaces; hence, it is necessary to know what kind of a surface 
it is before recommending the particular kind of paint to use. If several 
coats of paint are applied before each coat is thoroughly dry, the paint 


18 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


will peel. If the surface is wet when painted, or a sudden change of 
temperature takes place before the paint is hard, peeling may result. 
Galvanized iron and zinc are some of the worst surfaces on which to 
make a paint adhere. On new galvanized ironwork, the acid left on the 
surface will attack a paint, the principal vehicle of which is linseed oil, 
and cause it to peel. Also, the greasy nature of these metals and their 
hard, smooth surfaces do not afford a secure hold for linseed oil paints. 
To obtain good results in painting galvanized iron, it has been necessary to 
manufacture a special paint for the priming coat, and for this purpose we 
recommend our No. 625 GALVANIZED IRON PRIMER, which is 
described elsewhere. 

8 . Heat. 

Exposure to heat takes in those conditions where heat is produced 
by artificial means. This heat may come in contact with paint exposed 
to outside or inside atmospheres. The class of structures subject to the 
former includes smokestacks, blast furnaces, locomotive front ends, etc., 
and the class subject to the latter includes boiler fronts, furnace fronts 
and hot air and steam pipes. In all such cases the maximum amount 
of temperature should be ascertained, and if found to be more than the 
boiling point of water (212 degrees F.), a compound vehicle will be 
necessary. Should the heat run over 600 degrees F., little or no linseed 
oil should be used. Red heat of steel or iron is over 900 degrees F., and 
the author knows of no vehicle that will stand this heat and be water¬ 
proof and rust preventing at the same time. We manufacture several 
different kinds of Smokestack Paints, Locomotive Front End Paint, etc. 
Try our No. 750 Smoke Stack Black. 

PIGMENTS AND VEHICLES. 

With but possibly one exception (red lead) the old-time pigments 
have more than held their own, and while we propose to continue testing 
everything new that is offered as an improvement on the old, we will not 
advocate the use of a new pigment or vehicle until we have tested it 
under all possible conditions. 

A service test is the only reliable test. Laboratory, small metal plates, 
and short-time tests are frequently very misleading, and we can give 
many instances to prove this. 

The pigments which are recognized generally as being the standards 
for use on metal surfaces, either separately or in combination, are as 
follows: Carbon Black, Red Oxide of Iron, Brown Oxide of Iron, Blue 
Lead, Red Lead, White Lead, Graphite, Magnetic Black Oxide and Zinc. 

In vehicles, Linseed Oil, Treated China Wood Oil, Turpentine, Var¬ 
nishes and Driers are the best for grinding, thinning and drying purposes. 

All of the above pigments and vehicles have their value and use, but 
it takes experience, care and skill to make a satisfactory protective coating 
from any of them. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


19 


The fact is frequently overlooked that the first coat of paint is a great 
factor towards increasing or decreasing the durability of the succeeding 
coats. There is no doubt but that it is just as necessary to get the proper 
foundation for your paint as for your buildings. When this fact is more 
generally appreciated, our burden as Paint Specialists will be lightened. 
As it is, we have considerable difficulty in getting engineers to pay 
enough attention to the proper consideration of this subject, and the ten¬ 
dency is to follow, too frequently, in the paths of by-gone predecessors; 
whereas, the question of “What Is the Best Protection from Corrosion ?” 
is a vital one, and new facts concerning it come to the front constantly. 

Red lead is still being specified as a priming coat by some engineers 
and architects, for no special reason, that we can find, except that such 
has been the practice for years, and this in spite of the well-known fact 
that there is no pigment used by the paint trade that has a stronger 
affinity for, or is as destructively affected by, sulphurous and carbonic acid 
gases as red lead. Hence, when used in places where such gases exist, it 
must be covered quickly by protective coatings, or its durability and value 
as a foundation coat will be sadly impaired. 

We concede, if properly mixed, properly applied and quickly covered 
by a protective coating, red lead will give a durable first coating; but these 
ideal conditions do not prevail once in a thousand cases; hence, we claim 
that you can get better durability by the use of some other material under 
the prevailing conditions, or by using red lead in ready-mixed form in 
combination with other selected pigments. For instance, in our No. 700, 
we combine red lead with graphite, and have splendid records covering 
the use of this paint under severe conditions. 

We want it, therefore, clearly understood that we do not condemn the 
use of red lead as a paint pigment, as we are large consumers of it, and 
know its value, but we do affirm that we can get better results by a 
combination of from 50 to 75 per cent, of red lead with other selected 
pigments, than by using it pure, and especially where it is mixed by hand 
as against our machine-mixed paints. We know that graphite is improved 
by the mixture of red lead with it, and that the mixture of the two is 
superior to either one used alone. 

The author has contended for years that a hand-mixed dry red lead 
could not be properly mixed and applied by a painter, as an uneven 
thickness of coating would be given. In some places too much pigment 
and in other places practically no pigment at all, only the vehicle. The 
lead companies have now apparently recognized this fact and recommend 
the use of a paste red lead. It would be very much better if they took 
one step further and recommended the use of a good grade of ready- 
mixed suspended red lead paint. 

Depending upon the character of the work, climate, location and shade 
desired for finishing coat, we recommend one of the following paints as a 
priming or shop coat, in place of a hand-mixed red lead paint, and can 
guarantee at least equal durability. 


2 J 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


31 

Williamsport Red Oxide. 



250 

Blue Lead. 



200 

Red Lead—60% of the pigment is pure 

red 

lead. 

300 

Red Lead—75% of the pigment is pure 

red 

lead. 

700 

Red Lead and Graphite. 



800 

Red Lead and Red Oxide. 



625 

Galvanized Iron Primer. 



760 

Grillage Black. 




The use of iron oxide paint for both shop and field coats on metal 
is on the increase, and we strongly recommend for this work our No. 31 
Williamsport Red Oxide. 

The following is from a booklet, “Iron Oxide Paints,” published in 
1910 by G. B. Heckel, Secretary of The Paint Manufacturers’ Association: 

When Mother Nature undertakes a piece of work, she completes it. It may take 
ages, but when done it is done. 

All natural red oxides are hematites; the natural brown oxides are usually part 
hematite and part limonite; the yellow color of all ochres is due to limonite; while 
umbers and siennas are chiefly limonites with the addition of oxide of manganese. 
Roasting changes the limonite to hematite, producing respectively red ochres and 
burnt umbers and siennas. 

Vast deposits of these two ores are found in every part of the earth, and these 
natural colors were the first to catch the fancy of primitive man and were utilized 
by him for personal decoration or disfigurement long before he learned to use them as 
ores for the manufacture of iron. Since the dawn of civilization they have been 
used as pigments and in the twentieth century they still maintain their importance. 

Of their general excellence, Hurst says: 

“As a pigment, red oxides are perfectly permanent under all conditions and 
are among the most permanent colors a painter can use. They mix perfectly with all 
pigments without either affecting them in any way, or being affected by them.” 

F. Maire says: “Venetian reds made upon a gypsum base are reliable and 
practically unchangeable by exposure to light and air. Venetian red, either the 
natural or the artificial, may be mixed with other pigments with perfect safety. 
* * * It is one of the few colors that cannot be spared and could be replaced 

by no other red pigment.” 

Parry & Coste say of the Iron Oxide Pigments: “A most important class of 
colors, on account of their extensive use * * * and 0 f their high intrinsic value.” 

Terry says: “The whole group of oxide reds is of foremost importance, by 
reason of their good color, covering power and durability, besides which, * * * 

their cost is reasonable.” 

Bersch says: “The pigments composed of ferric oxide are used in enormous 
quantity. They are distinguished by great permanence.” 

Sabin says: “No colors are more permanent than some of these pure oxides. 
They have lasted for thousands of years and there is no reason why they should ever 
change.” 

Zerr & Rubencamp say: “A coating of red oxide paint is a perfect protection 
against rust, a property upon which is based the extensive use of this pigment for 
painting ironwork. * * * Oxide red paint is very durable, lasting for many years 

without suffering any appreciable change.” 

It is notable that when the famous Paint Test Fences were erected by the Paint 
Manufacturers’ Association at Atlantic City and Pittsburgh, an iron oxide paint 
was used to protect the entire structures on which the test panels were fastened. The 
test formulas themselves have given varying degrees of service, but the iron oxide 
paint is still everywhere in perfect condition and uniformly better than any of the 
paints tested on the panels. 

The National Fire Protective Association, 1908 Edition of Specifications for Fire 
Doors and Shutters, under painting, recommends: 

“Do not paint the doors unless it is necessary, and not until they have first been 
given a coat of Metallic Brown, Venetian Red, or Red Oxide Paint ground in pure 
linseed oil.” 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


21 


SNARES AND PITFALLS. 

While all that has been said is true of the legitimate oxides and “metallic paints," 
every good product has its imitators—something “just as good’’—for the man that 
sells it. 

There are all grades of oxides made or mined by conscientious manufacturers who 
depend upon the reputation of their products for future business. Side by side with 
these there are also all grades of “oxides” manipulated, concocted or quarried for 
immediate revenue only, and against this class of products the manufacturer, the 
painter, the engineer, the architect and the consumer cannot be too constantly 
on guard. 

Easily first among undesirable and unfit oxides, especially for use on metal, are 
those containing soluble sulphates or sulphuric acid. These are always present in 
oxides made from “pyrite cinder.” Such oxides are totally unfit for use, and when 
applied to metal quickly corrode and pit the surface. Such paints have been known 
to destroy a tin roof within a few months. 

The next defect to be guarded against in iron oxides is insufficient grinding or 
careless washing or “floating.” 

Fineness and uniformity of texture have an important influence on the value of 
these pigments in painting. Robert Job, chemist of the Reading Railroad, found that 
of two pigments, one high and the other low in iron oxide, the latter far outlasted 
the former in use, simply because the first was coarse while the other was fine in 
texture. 


We recommend No. 250 Blue Lead for first coating, especially where 
it will be subjected to extreme exposure from gases in special locations, 
such as copper smelting works, gas holders, crude petroleum tanks, tank 
cars and tank steamers. 

We recommend the use of our No. 31 Williamsport Red Oxide Paint 
as a finishing coat over No. 250 Blue Lead. 

More carbon paint is sold today than ever before, and its use as a 
finishing coat over a shop coat of our No. 31, on steel cars, railroad 
bridges and structural iron work, is rapidly increasing. We strongly 
advise the use of No. 16 Carbon Black for such work. 

White lead and zinc for metal surfaces should only be used when 
necessary to secure light tints, as more durable results can be obtained 
by using oxides or carbon pigments. 

Graphite has not proven to be as desirable a pigment for durability 
as was expected, and its use, by itself, as a paint pigment is on the decline. 
It gives best results when used in combination with other selected pig¬ 
ments, such as, for instance, our No. 700 Red Lead and Graphite. 

Our No. 32 Natural Color Graphite is usually made from the Mexican 
graphite pigment, as our tests have proven that for most locations, this 
pigment gives the best results. We, however, carry regularly in stock, in 
addition to the Mexican air-floated graphite, the Acheson artificial 
graphite pigment, and are prepared to give to our customers their choice 
of Acheson or any other graphite pigment that can be purchased. This 
artificial graphite is made principally from anthracite coal, treated in 
electric furnaces, at a very high degree of heat, and air-floated. 

The main trouble with some of the graphite paints on the market is 
caused by the use of a graphite pigment which does not combine readily 
with the oil and when spread on thin, even repels it, so as to cause many 
minute holes, which retain the moisture and cause corrosion. 


22 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


Henry A. Gardner, Director of the Scientific Section, Paint Manu¬ 
facturers’ Association of the United States, states in Bulletin No. 29, 
page 34, as follows: 

“Graphite, both in the natural and artificial form, contains impurities 
such as silica, iron oxide and aluminum, in some cases as high as 40 per 
cent. Graphite is easily mixed with other pigments, such as red lead 
and blue lead, thus making a better paint coating. Its use as a prime 
coating for steel should be avoided, as it tends to stimulate corrosion.” 

Magnetic Black Oxide is a new pigment consisting of about 91% of 
Fe 3 0 4 , which has come into quite extensive use during the past five 
years. Our tests show it is of considerable merit when used in combina¬ 
tion with other selected pigments. 

In 1908 tests were commenced at Atlantic City, N. J., under the 
direction of the American Society for Testing Materials and the Paint 
Manufacturers’ Association, to determine the value of various pigments 
for the painting of steel. The final report of these tests in 1914 gives the 
rating of the leading pigments as follows, 10 being considered as perfect: 


Basic Lead Chromate. 7.5 

Sublimed Blue Lead. 6.0 

Red Oxide, with Barytes, etc. 5.0 

Carbon Black with Barytes. 5.0 

Willow Charcoal. 4.5 

Magnetic Black Oxide. 4.0 

Red Lead. 4.0 


The Basic Lead Chromate paint costs nearly four times as much as 
the Blue Lead paint, and five times as much as the Carbon Black or 
Magnetic Black Oxide. Its greater cost forbids its use in most cases. 

The use of Lithopone as a paint pigment in interior paints is increas¬ 
ing rapidly, and it would seem as if it would entirely displace white lead 
for interior work. Lithopone is made from zinc and barytes chemically 
combined. It is non-poisonous and does not discolor in dark places as 
lead does. It has not been made as yet so as to be durable for ex¬ 
terior paints. 

VEHICLES. 

There is quite a difference of opinion as to whether to the oil or the 
pigment is due the life of the paint. In our opinion to neither one can be 
given the entire credit, but the life or durability of the paint is due to a 
proper combination of the two. No amount of theoretical knowledge can 
determine questions of this kind, but it takes the practical experience of 
years in the actual manufacturing of goods, and also the proper use of 
them, to obtain the best results. 

For exterior paints the oil vehicle should be a selected, well aged, lin¬ 
seed oil, and in most cases greater durability is obtained by using raw 
linseed oil in preference to boiled. 









TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


23 


In making protective paint for metals too little attention is given 
by some to securing the proper vehicle in which to grind the pigment, 
and also as to the best drier to use. While it is true that the use of the 
proper pigment helps to protect the oil from decay, it is also true that a 
chain is only just as strong as its weakest link; so a paint is only just as 
permanent as the constituent which suffers decomposition and decay 
permits it to be. There is not in use at the present time a paint vehicle 
that will permit of a permanent protective painting compound being pro¬ 
duced. Linseed oil is not the ideal vehicle, but nothing better as yet has 
been discovered for universal painting requirements, but for some loca¬ 
tions other oils, such as Chinese wood oil, soya bean oil and treated fish 
oils can be used to advantage. 

A great deal depends on the drier used, different pigments require 
different driers; many paint manufacturers only use two—turpentine drier 
and a benzine drier. Our long experience has taught us the need of many 
different kinds of driers for different paints; hence, we carry a larger 
assortment of driers than other paint manufacturers. 


LINSEED OIL VERSUS PAINT AS PRIMING COATS 

FOR METAL. 

The following is taken from a paper by Frank P. Cheesman read 
before the American Society for Testing Materials at its Annual Meet¬ 
ing, 1907: 

Previous to 1885 it was almost a universal custom to use boiled linseed oil 
as a shop or priming coat for metal; this was largely due to the fact that but 
little attention was given in those days to the subject of corrosion, while today 
we have almost gone to the other extreme, and corrosion has become a favorite 
topic at our meetings, and the theories presented differ so much that the layman is 
apt to grow confused, and throw up his hands in despair; and yet the agitation 
has resulted in great improvement and progress in preventing corrosion, notwith¬ 
standing the destructive forces that we have to contend with increase in number 
yearly, and the metal that we have to protect in many cases is no longer passive, 
but also frequently produces a destructive attack from the rear upon the pro¬ 
tective coatings applied to the surface. 

At the present time very few bridge engineers specify the use of boiled oil, 
and yet there are enough still doing so to make it worth the effort to call their 
attention to the fact that they are making a mistake and inviting corrosion by so 
specifying. 

At a meeting in 1906 of our New York section of the Society of Chemical 
Industry, Dr. Sabin, in an article on “The Oxidation of Linseed Oil,’’ showed that, 
after the same oil had been placed in six glass flasks, connected together with 
tubing, and allowed to stand in a well lighted room, there was such a difference 
in the weight after drying that one had gained two and one-half times as much 
as the other, the figures being 10.1 and 25.5 per cent. 

Dr. P. C. Mcllhiney, at the same meeting, said with regard to the atmospheric 
oxidation of linseed oil, he had himself found that the same sample of linseed 
oil would at different times and under conditions that were apparently the same, 
absorb very different percentages of oxygen, or at least that the increase of weight 
on drying was very different. 

I mention the above to show why it is possible to have conflicting results 
when the paint maker has made no change in his vehicle; linseed oil is today the 
best paint vehicle we know of, but it contains some of the still unknown mysteries of 
nature, and it occasionally gives us a knockout blow. 

While a few still contend that linseed oil, when dry, is not porous, the majority 
believe (and especially as applied to boiled linseed oil) that it is hygroscopic in its 
nature; the proof of the pudding cannot in this case be found in the eating, but 
it can be found in the following field tests: 

Several very interesting facts were stated by practical men at the third annual 
convention of the Maintenance of Way Master Painters Association of the United 
States and Canada, held in New York, November 13 and 14, 1906, and are printed in 
their proceedings, and I will mention the following, copied from those proceedings: 


24 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


Edward Hurst Brown, in his paper on “Conditions That Must 
Be Met in the Ideal Paint for Railway Bridges,” stated as follows: 

“The most insidious enemy of the iron bridge is rust, and the primary object of 
painting it is to protect it from those elements which cause destruction by rust. 
Rust is caused by the combination of the metal with oxygen to form the hydrated 
oxide of iron. This oxygen may be obtained from the air, from water, or from 
some other substance which acts as a carrier of oxygen or an oxidizing agent— 
always, however, in the presence of moisture. Now, one of the primary things 
to be considered in choosing a paint for iron work is that it shall not contain 
in its pigment or vehicle any substance which is chemically active in such a way 
as to convey oxygen to the iron. For if such a chemically active agent be introduced 
into the paint, sooner or later it will promote rather than prevent rust. Of course, 
so long as the oil, in an oil paint, remains intact, it envelops the particles of 
pigment and keeps them away from the iron, but in time the oil, which has 
hardened by absorbing oxygen from the air, begins to disintegrate by the action 
of water coming from rain, hail, snow or fog. Moreover, even the freshly applied 
oil is not absolutely impenetrable to moisture, as has been shown by numerous 
experiments, and, however completely the particles of the chemically active pigment 
may be covered by an oil film, they will necessarily come in contact with moisture— 
will decompose the water and absorb its oxygen, and convey it, together with the 
hydrogen, to the surface of the iron to cause rust. For this reason the ideal paint 
for a steel or iron bridge should not contain a chemically active pigment, nor any 
strongly oxidizing agent in the way of driers.” 

“We have also seen that linseed oil is permeable to moisture and to the gases 
and steam from locomotives. This was first clearly demonstrated, we believe, by 
Dr. C. B. Dudley, chief chemist of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and to this fact 
may be ascribed the corrosion of the metal under an apparently intact coating of 
paint. It is true that in the mixture of oil with pigment in a very finely divided 
form, the tendency is for the pigment particles to more or less fill up the interstices 
in the oil film and render it less porous.” 

The author of this Review, in the course of his remarks, made the 
following statements : 

Any practical master painter will allow that boiled linseed oil, when used alone 
for the first coat on metal, will not dry hard in weeks. It oxidizes on the surface, 
absorbing moisture and forming a skin, leaving the underneath portion soft, and 
easily knocked off in shipping, and later on will cause subsequent coats of paint to 
crack and peel. This is because the first coat of oil must dry some time, and in 
doing so i will force the top coats to crack, and sooner or later come off. 

Mr. Emil Gerber, M. Amer. Soc. C. E., in his report on the Illinois Central 
Railroad bridge at Cairo, Ill., shows that the approaches which received one shop 
coat of paint weathered better than the bridge which received one shop coat of oil. 
When the Cumberland Valley Railroad bridge was built in 1887 at Harrisburg, Pa., 
it was built jointly by the Edgemore and Union Bridge Works, and one applied 
a shop coat of paint and the other a shop coat of oil. After erection it was found 
that the oiled part of it was rusting very badly. Two coats of our paint were 
soon applied on the entire structure, and the section that received one coat of 
paint at the shop stood much the better. 

We also quote M. P. Wood (“Rustless Coatings,” page 25) : 

“There are hundreds of records of the painting of important railway structures, 
where the first coat of boiled oil method was used and, in the great majority of 
instances the utter and rapid failure of the coating and the extra corrosion of the 
structure could be directly assigned to this so-called method of protection. The 
weather-resisting power of an oil coating is almost nil as compared with paint.” 

“A foundation coat of oil is a direct cause of the blistering and peeling of the 
coatings spread over it. It is seldom dried enough before the other paints are spread 
over it to ensure a close adherence to the metal it covers. When the subsequent coats 
of paint are spread, the solvents and oils in them soften to some extent the underlying 
coat of oil, and a moderate heat from the sun causes the whole coating to blister or 
peel. Too much oil in a paint coating, particularly if the surplus oil is in or near the 
foundation coat, whether on a wooden or metallic surface, will generally cause peeling 
regardless of the pigment used in the coatings.” 

We also quote G. W. Thompson, Chief Chemist, National Lead 
Company, who are large crushers of linseed oil: 

We have condemned the use of linseed oil as a prime coat for iron and steel 
for the reason that it is impossible to tell whether the application has been well 
made or not. But more important than this, a linseed oil priming coat should be 
condemned for the reason that all under coats of paint should be as hard as possible, 
which is not obtained when a linseed oil priming coat is used. Whatever rust¬ 
preventing power subsequent paints may have tends to be nullified by being separated 
from the iron and steel by a linseed oil film. A hard protective coating gives the 
best possible foundation for a subsequent paint. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


25 


The question now arises: What pigment would you recommend using 
in connection with linseed oil for a priming coat, and to this I answer 
that the paint doctor must be advised upon several points before he can 
prescribe the proper pigment. 

Will the metal be painted under cover, and how much time will be 
allowed for drying? If it is a rush job, we want to use a pigment that 
will not retard the drying of the oil. What are the climatic conditions? 
Is the material to be shipped a long distance, and what kind of exposure 
will it have before it is second coated? Will the metal be properly 
cleaned before the shop coat is applied? All of these questions must be 
answered before we can state intelligently what is the best pigment to use, 
but where no information can be obtained, as a general rule, it is safe to 
use a selected high-grade natural ore iron oxide like our No. 31 Red 
Oxide. 

REINFORCED CONCRETE AND CEMENT COATING. 

There have been published in several trade papers, articles advocating 
the use of a thin coating of cement on iron or steel to prevent corrosion. 
A thin coat, even if it could be applied successfully and remain on without 
cracking (two impossibilities), would not prevent corrosion for a very 
long period for the following reason : 

The cement for a while would take up the oxygen, thus allowing only 
pure water to reach the iron, and pure water will not cause rust, but after 
a while the cement reaches its limit as regards the taking up of the 
oxygen, and from then on ceases to be a protector of the iron. The 
trouble with this cement experiment, as with many others, is that it was 
not given a sufficiently long-time test. 

If the concrete is several feet thick, free from cracks, and not ex¬ 
posed to running water, it will better protect iron or steel from corrosion, 
especially where it is below the water line and gets constant immersion, 
but all structural steel that is to be imbedded in concrete should be 
protected with paint. 

We were one of the first paint manufacturers to recognize the neces¬ 
sity of using a paint containing no linseed oil, as a final coat on structural 
steel, when that material was to be incased in concrete. It is a well-known 
fact that the lime contained in concrete will quickly destroy linseed oil, 
which leaves the coating of paint without a binder, so that it soon be¬ 
comes little more than a powder with no value as a protective coating. 

Having this in mind, we have placed upon the market our No. 755 
“SUBWAY BLACK,” which contains, instead of linseed oil, especially 
prepared vehicles and pigments, which are not affected in any way when 
placed under or over concrete. 

It is a fact, however, that paint which is to be used as a priming 
coat and is applied to the bare metal, should be made of linseed oil, 
and for this class of work we recommend our No. 31 Williamsport Red 


26 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


Oxide of Iron Paint, the oldest and best known structural and bridge paint 
on the market. Over this paint should be used one or two coats of 
“SUBWAY BLACK,” and this combination will come as close to giving 
perfect protection to structural steel when incased in concrete as anything 
that has yet been produced. 

No. 755 “SUBWAY BLACK” has good covering capacity (about 400 
square feet per gallon, one coat), and it will not become hard in the 
barrel during cold weather, which condition is frequently experienced 
with similar paints of other makes. 

In a paper read before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers 
at New York, March 1 , 1907, the following conclusions were presented 
as the result of research that has been carried on for several years to 
ascertain whether concrete will afford protection to iron and steel against 
electrolytic corrosion: 

1. Steel structures are well preserved from ordinary corrosion by concrete if 
placed either in salt or fresh water. This, however, has long been known. 

2. If but a small fraction of an ampere of electricity passes from an interior 
metallic column or structure into concrete or masonry as usually made, there will 
be corrosion of the metal and disintegration of the concrete or masonry. 

3. Structures of steel in concrete that are subject to sea water are in more 
danger from electrolytic action than those in fresh water, by reason of the lower 
resistance of concrete in sea water, as shown by the laboratory experiments. 

4. In no sense can concrete be considered an insulator, and it is from all 
appearances just as good an electrolytic as any of the soils found in the earth. 


In a paper read at the ninth general meeting of the American Electro- 
Chemical Society, the following statements were made: 

“Seven steel strips were placed in neat cement and subjected to an electric 
current. At the end of the third day corrosion had commenced, except on that 
portion of the steel strins which were painted with an insulating paint of known 
composition, and the experiment was continued for a number of days, after which 
the briquettes were broken open, and it was demonstrated that electrolytic corrosion 
had taken place most effectually, except on that portion of the steel that was coated 
with the insulating paint, and the impression that cement is a protection against 
corrosion at all times is fallacious, and an increase in volume may take place which 
will split the concrete shell.” 

Dr. W. H. Walker, in a paper read before the New York section of 
the American Chemical Society on May 10, 1907, stated that carbon 
dioxide is not necessary in order to produce corrosion, while it does 
accelerate the corrosion. Oxygen alone will produce corrosion without 
any carbon dioxide in connection with it. 

The rust-forming agency is a solution of oxygen in water. This 
constitutes the whole secret of the production of rust. Hence, it follows 
that other conditions being equal, cold water is more active in producing 
rust than hot, and iron rusts much more rapidly when the contact with 
water is intermittent than in cases of permanent immersion. 

The oxide from electrolysis is always .75 oxide—the magnetic oxide 
(Fe,0 4 )—and leaves a black mark or streak. The oxide due to rust, 
cinders, etc., is always .66 oxide (Fe o 0,) and leaves a red streak. The 
.75 rust never occurs in the street except through electrolysis. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


27 


The oil-destroying properties of the alkali in cement have caused 
trouble in painting concrete, which can be overcome by a method 
described by Charles Macnichol in a paper presented to the American 
Society for Testing Materials, in 1910. 

The method consists in treating the cement surfaces with a solution 
of equal parts by weight, zinc sulphate and water, applied with an ordinary 
bristle brush, after the cement is dry. If the precaution is observed 
of allowing 48 to 72 hours as a drying period, this treatment will render 
a cement wall as safe to paint on as an ordinary plaster wall. At 
Mr. Macnichol’s request, Dr. A. S. Cushman prepared the following 
explanation of the chemical reasons for the success of zinc sulphate 
in such work: 

In regard to the scheme for painting concrete work with a solution 
of zinc sulphate in order to make the surface hold a paint coating, it is 
my belief that the zinc sulphate is very well adapted for this purpose 
owing to the fact that when zinc sulphate is brought into contact with 
the calcium hydroxide (hydrated lime) a chemical reaction results in the 
formation of calcium sulphate (gypsum) and zinc hydroxide (hydrated 
oxide of zinc). It is apparent from this that after the surface has 
become thoroughly dry again it will contain within its pores a mixture 
of gypsum and zinc oxide. These materials have no bad influence on 
linseed oil and, in fact, are frequently used as paint pigments.” 



GREENBRIER HOTEL, WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. VA. 

Thos. J. Bird, Steel Engineer. Erected 1913. This hotel is fireproof throughout 
and the steel is entirely encased in concrete. In the shop, the steel received a coat 
of our No. 17 Brown Oxide, and after erection it was painted with No. 755 Subway 
Black Paint. This latter paint (which contains no linseed oil) is not affected by the 
concrete, and insures absolute and permanent protection to the structural steel. For 
this class of work, we recommend a shop coat of No. 17 Brown, or our No. 31 
Williamsport Red Oxide, and No. 755 Subway Black Paint for the final coat. For 
interior surfaces specify NaPaWork Interior Flat Finishes, and either our Sun-Wite, 
Lustre-Wite or Keap-Wite Enamels. 









28 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


PAINTING STEEL BRIDGES. 

The question of durability regarding the painting of steel bridges is 
not so much a question of season as it is a question of favorable weather. 
So far as temperature is concerned either extreme (hot or cold) is equally 
detrimental to paint. Extreme heat forces paint to dry rapidly and there¬ 
fore unnaturally, while extreme cold retards the drying and consequently 
also causes unnatural drying. Oil paint wastes much in weight and body 
under extreme heat, while the reverse is true in cold weather. The 
latter is an advantage, but is offset in many instances by the injury sus¬ 
tained whenever the paint becomes frosted before it is dry. When an 
oil paint dries naturally, it absorbs the requisite amount of oxygen, but 
if forced by extreme heat or by the addition of artificial driers, its 
durability is correspondingly impaired. A temperature of from sixty to 
seventy degrees, provided the atmosphere is not overladen with moisture, 
is far more conducive to durability than either extreme heat or cold. 
Water, which is usually to be found in considerable quantity near or 
underneath most steel bridges, is a factor to be reckoned with, in bridge 
painting. The ascending moisture caused by the evaporation of the water 
is very detrimental, especially while painting, unless there is sufficient 
heat to dissipate it before it envelops the steel structure. On this 
account much care is necessary in order to guard against painting over 
and sealing up in the pores of the iron, such moisture that may have 
been absorbed by the metal. Moisture thus absorbed will remain indefi¬ 
nitely, or until there has been a protracted season of dry weather of 
sufficient duration to dry it out. That portion of a bridge most exposed 
to the rays of the sun presents the greater advantage for painting in 
winter on account of the action of the sun in freeing the metal of mois¬ 
ture. It is a good plan and not impracticable in bridge painting to be 
governed by the position of the sun, or more correctly speaking, by the 
position of such structures to the sun at various seasons. As, for in¬ 
stance, painting the sunny side of a bridge in winter when conditions 
require it, and those parts never reached by the sun in warmer or drier 
weather. Another feature of bridge painting whether in winter or 
summer, that does not always receive the attention it should, is the method 
of cleaning and application of paint. When it becomes necessary to scrape 
away or sand-blast the structure, thus exposing the bare surface of the 
metal, the cleaned surface should in no instance be left unprotected over 
night, or for a period sufficiently long to absorb moisture, but should be 
followed up immediately with the painting. Sand-blasting a bridge or 
other structure previous to painting has the advantage of being dried 
or freed of moisture at the same time to a large extent by the compressed 
air that operates the sand-blast, that is, provided the atmosphere is not 
overcharged with moisture, as the air taken in by the compressor is 
necessarily of the same humidity as that of the surrounding air. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


29 



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in New York City. The Municipal Pier shed at 131st Street, N. R., was finished with our paints, including No. 625, during January, 1911, 
and on January 1st, 1915, the paint was still in first-class condition. Our paints were also used on the Clyde Line Pier. The galvanized 
iron shed of D. L. & W. R. R. Pier No. 26, E. R., was given a priming coat of No. 625 Galvanized Iron Primer. 























30 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 



STEWART SUGAR MILLS, CUBA, W. I. 

PAINTS FOR TROPICAL CLIMATES. 

For over thirty years we have made a specialty of “Technical Paints” 
for export, especially prepared for the trying climatic conditions found 
in tropical countries. 

The majority of the sugar mills, bridges, docks, warehouses, stations, 
etc., in Cuba and Porto Rico, for instance, are protected with our paints. 
Among our customers, we mention: Stewart Sugar Co., Central Saratoga, 
Central Aguirre, Central Fajardo, Central Ciego de Avila, Senado Sugar 
Co., United Fruit Co., Havana Central R. R., United Railways of 
Havana, Cuban Central, Guayaquil & Quito R. R., Tehauntepec R. R., 
National Railways of Mexico, Cuba Co., etc. 

The leading paints we ship for export are No. 31 Red Oxide, No. 16 
Carbon Black, Suspended Red Leads, No. 625 Galvanized Iron Primer, 
No. 750 Smoke Stack Black, No. 32 Graphite, No. 94 Gray, No. 1031 
Smoke Stack Red, No. 21 Prince’s Metallic Brown, No. 250 Blue Lead, 
No. 57 Flat White, etc. 







TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


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32 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 



The following remarks are taken from a paper written by the author 
of this Review, which was published by the Central Railway Club in 
their Official Proceedings, November, 1914: 


“In 1910 it was my privilege to read a paper on the subject of ‘Protection of 
Metal Equipment,’ before the New York Railroad Club, and some of the remarks 
that I will make now will be to some extent a duplication of what I said then. 

“While some progress has been made in the method of painting since 1910, the 
basic facts are about the same as they were then. The subject should be divided 
into two headings; first, as applied to new cars constructed by car builders not 
connected directly with the railroad, and second, as applied to the re-painting of steel 
freight cars by railroads. 

“Under the first head it is almost impossible, with the conditions as we find them 
at the car-builders’ shops, to secure sufficient time for painting the car properly. 
In many of the shops it is the practice to put on two coats of paint in one day; 
frequently the stenciling of the car is done that same day or the following day. No 
shop that I am familiar with has sufficient space to carry on its tracks more than 
one or two days’ output when working full time. It is, therefore, absolutely neces¬ 
sary that the cars be moved rapidly. Under such conditions it would be throwing 
money away to attempt to do a first-class job or to use high-grade materials. I 
would, therefore, suggest that in specifying paint for new steel cars, when not more 
than twelve to twenty-fours can be allowed for painting, that only a single coat of 
paint be specified for the work, and that to consist of an iron oxide paint containing 
between 30 to 40 per cent, sesqui-oxide. The vehicle to consist of pure raw linseed 
oil, a percentage of Kauri Gum china wood oil mixing varnish with sufficient drier 
to dry it in the requisite time, making that time as long as possible under the 
conditions. 

“The car painted under the above conditions should be shopped in from six to 
eight months by the railroad and then given a thorough job of painting as described 
hereafter. If the railroad is not going to re-paint the car within six or eight months, 
a second coat should then be applied at the car shops, rather than to allow the car 
to run longer than eight months with only one coat of paint on it. And in that case 
if a black finishing coat is desired the second coat of paint should contain only 
sufficient carbon black to make the shade required. The majority of the pigment 
being iron oxide in combination with magnetic black oxide and inerts. 


“There is no question but what more paint is ruined by poor application than in 
any other way. The men who paint freight cars in car-builders’ shops usually are 
not skilled painters, and it is necessary under present conditions to apply the paint 
under various degrees of temperature. It is frequently rained or snowed upon before 
becoming dry. In many cases the thinning is done with cheap and worthless oils and 
japans and the only wonder is that it stands as well as it does under the poor 
application and thinning. 

“There is a vast difference in the character of metal almost as much as there 
is in the character of wood, and this has a great effect on the durability of the paint. 
If the priming coat could be applied while the metal is warm we could obtain much 
better results than are now secured. 
























TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


33 


“The designing engineers are apt to overlook the fact that the painting of a 
steel car is an important factor in the maintenance of it. Frequently a small change 
in the plans will materially assist the proper cleaning and painting of the car. We 
often see angles specified where a rounded section could be used just as well, thereby 
giving the protective coating a better chance, because it is on the edges where it 
wears off first. On a round bar there is about one-eighth less surface to cover as 
compared with a square bar of the same sectional area. Quite a little improvement 
has been made along this line, but much more could be made, especially in the case 
of pockets, which should be avoided in every possible case. 

“One of the principal sources of corrosion is the rivet heads and the rivet holes. 
You cannot protect these holes with paint when red-hot rivets are used, and I 
suggested in 1910 that it would pay to even plate these holes with a non-corrosive 
metal and also use non-corrosive rivets, especially as applied to passenger coaches. 
At that time tnere was no method on the market of coating metal which could 
be utilized for this class of work, but there has been lately introduced a metal spray¬ 
ing apparatus which, I am told, will do this class of work successfully, and a coating 
of lead, zinc or brass can be applied at a comparatively low cost. A description of 
this new process of metal coating can be found in Engineering News, Vol. 72, No. 18, 
of October 29th, 1914. I think that the matter would pay the members of this Club 
to investigate. 

“All over-lapping joints which cannot be reached to be re-painted should be 
coated with a heavy coat of pure blue lead made in semi paste form. 

“Under the second heading, ‘The Repainting of Steel Freight Cars by Railroads,’ 
after the surface is put in proper condition by sand-blasting off all of the original 
coating, including the rust and mill scale, I then recommend applying a coat of paint 
made with a high-grade natural ore iron oxide containing about 75 per cent, of sesqui- 
oxide reduced to about 40 per cent, of sesqui-oxide with silica and other selected 
inert pigments non-hygroscopic in their nature. The vehicle to consist of pure raw 
linseed oil with a selected drier and a percentage of a hard gum china wood oil mixing 
varnish. Better results could be obtained by the railroad if this paint was bought 
ready-mixed with the exception of the drier, which should be added to the paint 
at the time of painting. The amount of drier to be governed by the weather and 
the time allowed for painting. 

“For a finishing coat I recommend the use of a carbon black paint containing 
magnetic black oxide in addition to carbon black, and a percentage of selected inert 
pigments with practically the same vehicles as used in the priming coat. 

“I would suggest that special attention be given to the quality and size of the 
paint brush, and that a larger brush than a 6-0 Round Brush or a 6-inch Flat Brush 
should not be used, and that the preference be given to the round brush, as the 
workmen cannot brush the paint in and on as well with a flat brush as with a round 
brush. I do not believe that a paint spraying machine can be used that will give 
as durable results as you can secure by using brushes in the hands of good painters. 

“I believe that when a railroad finds that a paint-maker is repeatedly guilty of not 
living up to the paint specifications such people should not be allowed to bid on 
their paint requirements.. Unless the railroads do formulate a plan to eliminate 
unreliable bidders, it will be hard to induce reputable manufacturers to bid on their 
paint specification requirements.” 




34 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 



BAY RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY. 

Structural steel painted with our No. 31 English Red Oxide. Cheesman & 
Elliot’s structural paints are regularly approved by the Board of Education of New 
York City for use on the structural steel of school buildings. Their standard specifi¬ 
cations also call for Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 625 Galvanized Iron Primer on 
galvanized iron heating and ventilation systems, and Cheesman & Elliot’s Radiator 
Enamel. Our NaPaWork Flat Finishes, made in all colors, are used largely for 
ceilings, side walls, etc. 


HOW TO ESTIMATE THE QUANTITY OF PAINT 

REQUIRED. 

To find the amount required to paint the structural iron of a bridge 
or building, take the estimated weight, for instance, of the framework of a 
building of 450,000 pounds of an average thickness of 5-16 inch. A 
square foot of 5-16 inch iron weighs 12.75 pounds; divide the total weight, 
450,000, by 12.75 equals 35,300 square feet one side. As both sides are to 
be painted, double this, making 70,600, and add 5 per cent, to cover top 
and bottom; equals about 74,000 square feet. The covering capacity of each 
paint will be found under the description of the paint. 












TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


35 


POWER PLANTS. 

The quality of paint used by power companies must be of the best, as 
with them the painting question is a matter which is given considerable 
attention. It is not always possible to paint water wheels, pen-stocks, 
under-water pipes, etc., as temperature changes and other conditions have 
to be considered. It is, therefore, evident that only a technically made 
paint, manufactured for some particular surface, can be satisfactorily 
used by a power company. This is one reason why we are, at the present 
time, supplying some of the largest power companies in the country 
with all of the paint which they use. These include the Niagara Falls 
Power Co., Toronto Power Co., Canadian Niagara Falls Power Co., 
Amherst Power Co., Ontario Power Co. of Niagara Falls, and others. 

About ten years ago the Niagara Falls Power Co. conducted a 
series of paint tests. In these tests our specially made paints stood up 
to such good advantage that the Niagara Falls Power Co. has been using 
our paints on all of their work ever since. 

Pen-stocks and water wheels which are wet or sweating practically all 
of the time, require the protection of a paint which is especially prepared 
to meet these conditions, and our No. 700 Red Lead and Graphite has 
proven to be the best paint which can be used for this class of work. On 
new pen-stocks or water wheels, the priming coat should be our No. 300 
Suspended Red Lead, to be followed by two finishing coats of No. 700 
Red Lead and Graphite. 

For under-water pipes, our No. 500 Black Metal Protector will give 
the best service. 

On transmission line poles, towers, etc., nothing better can be used 
than our structural iron paints, namely, No. 31 Williamsport Red Oxide 
for the first coat, No. 401 Carbon and Oxide for the second coat, and a 
finishing coat of No. 16 Carbon Black. 

We are also large manufacturers of Concrete Floor Paints, and for 
interior walls, ceilings, etc., our NaPaWork Flat Finishes, particularly 
No. 57 Flat White, make very satisfactory and durable coatings. 

To insure the best results on smoke stacks, a paint containing special 
vehicles must be used, and for this purpose we recommend No. 750 
Smoke Stack Black. As the name implies, this is a jet black, glossy 
paint, and on stacks, generator pipes and other hot surfaces it will 
wear longer and look better than any other paint known. No. 750 Smoke 
Stack Black will give good service on any metal surface that is not sub¬ 
jected to over 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

We are often called upon to make up a paint for some particular use 
about a power plant and are always glad to give such matters our 
special attention. 


36 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


SUMMING UP. 

A review of the previous articles, tests and experiments suggests the 
following conclusions: 

First. That the chemist is not usually a paint expert. His mission is 
to analyze and hunt for adulterants and find if specified materials are used. 

Second. That the laboratory test is not practical or conclusive, as it 
is generally much more severe than are natural conditions. 

Third. That long-time weather tests are conclusive, for they meet 
conditions that are encountered in actual practice. 

Fourth. That the red and brown oxides of iron when properly 
selected and roasted are the best pigments for all around weather ex¬ 
posure; but these pigments are often abused by being adulterated with 
cheap, worthless oils, which have brought them into bad repute, and many 
common mineral or iron ore pigments, which are of no value as paint 
pigments, are mined and ground and used just as they come from the 
earth. Pigments obtain their value, color and durability from the fire 
treatment they receive in making them inert and unchangeable. 

Fifth. Carbon comes next to the oxides, and under some conditions 
of exposure is even superior. 

Sixth. Graphite has not proven to be as desirable a pigment for 
durability as was expected, and gives best results when used in combina¬ 
tion with other selected pigments, and should never be used for priming 
coats. 

Seventh. For first coating in many locations we are convinced that a 
first quality red or brown oxide of iron is as durable as red lead, and for 
some purposes superior, because it is impervious to the action of sul- 
phureted hydrogen and all other deleterious gases, and keeps in better 
suspension. 

Eighth. As a general paint vehicle nothing yet has been discovered to 
equal pure raw linseed oil. 

Ninth. It requires thought, labor and experience along special lines to 
produce satisfactory paints, and that even with a high-grade product 
quantity and proper application are as essential as quality. 

Tenth. Another feature essential to the production of a good paint 
is that the pigment should be finely ground, both in its dry state as well 
as with the vehicle. When this is effected every minute particle of 
pigment will be thoroughly impregnated with oil or varnish, and the 
whole will form a perfectly homogeneous mass in which no granules 
will be found. If, however, the pigment, though in ever so fine a state 
of division, be merely stirred into the vehicle, without grinding, it will 
remain granular or gritty, and these irregularly impregnated particles 
of pigment are able to absorb moisture and facilitate its admission to the 
surface of the metal. 

Eleventh. And last but not least, more paint is ruined by application 
to a surface not suitably prepared to receive it than by any other cause. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


37 



NORFOLK & WESTERN R. R. COALING PIER NO. 4 . 
NORFOLK, VA. 

Completed January, 1914. Fabricated and erected by the Virginia Bridge & 
Iron Co. 8,000 tons of steel. Finished with two coats of Cheesman & Elliot’s No. 16 
Carbon Black; 4,000 gallons being used. Pier is 1,200 feet long and 90 feet high. 
Capacity, 5,400 tons of coal per hour. 


No. 16 . 

CARBON BLACK. 

This paint is one of our oldest and best known coatings. It is 
composed of high-grade pure carbon black with magnetic black oxide 
and a percentage of inert pigments, combined with pure linseed oil and 
our special driers and binders. We have manufactured it since 1876, 
with improvements from time to time, and it has been used on more 
structural steel bridges, and other metal structures than all other black 
paint combined on the market. 

No. 16 dries jet black, with a bright lustre; works smoothly and 
easily under the brush, and has excellent body—a feature often found 
lacking in paints made with carbon and graphite pigments. 

Carbon Black is, without doubt, one of the best pigments for a pro¬ 
tective coating. It is the best light excluder, and is practically exempt 
from destruction by atmospheric influences. Being very fine in texture, 
it is an excellent protector of the vehicle of the paint, and at the same 
time produces an elastic coating, thus reducing the fractional element due 




38 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


to beating of storms, and expansion and contraction of metal. It remains 
in place until removed by friction or the destruction of the vehicle, and 
can be painted over without the expensive scraping or torch-burning 
necessary with some other pigments. 

Many instances are on record where a single coat of carbon black 
like that used for lettering and symbols on the old cross-roads and 
tavern sign-boards that have been exposed for a century or more, is 
still uninjured, while the surrounding colors and, in many cases, the 
wooden surface of the sign, have been worn away, leaving the carbon 
lettering in full relief. 

Below are mentioned some of the railroads which have specified or 
purchased No. 16 for their bridges during the past ten years. A number 
of these roads have adopted No. 16 as their standard bridge paint, while 
the others have used it on many of their largest structures. 


Atlanta & West Point 
Auburn & Syracuse Elec. 

Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line 
Bessemer & Lake Erie 
Boston & Albany 
Buffalo, Lockport & Rochester 
Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh 
Buffalo & Susquehanna 
Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio 
Central of Georgia 
Chicago & Alton 
Chicago, Indiana & Southern 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound 
Chicago, New Orleans & Texas 
Pacific. 

Cleveland, Cin., Chicago & St. L. 
Coal & Coke R. R. 

Cuba R. R. 

Cumberland Valley 
Davenport, Rock Island & North¬ 
western 

Empire United Rys. 

Guayaquil & Quito 
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
Minneapolis, St. Paul & S. S. M. 
New York Central 


New York, New Haven & Hart¬ 
ford 

Norfolk Southern 
Norfolk & Western 
Northern Central 
Northern Pacific 
Pennsylvania Lines, East 
Pennsylvania Lines, West 
Peoria & Pekin Union 
Philadelphia, Baltimore & Wash¬ 
ington 

Pittsburgh & Lake Erie 
Seaboard Air Line 
Southern 

Spokane & Inland Empire 
Spokane, Portland & Seattle 
Susquehanna, Bloomsburg & Ber¬ 
wick 

Syracuse, Lake Shore & Northern 
Union Traction Co. of Indiana 
United Fruit Co.’s Lines 
United Rys. of Cuba 
Vandalia Lines 
Virginia-Carolina Ry. 

Virginian Ry. 

Virginian & Southwestern 
Winston-Salem Southbound 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


39 


It has been abundantly demonstrated that No. 16 Carbon Black is 
the most satisfactory bridge coating on the market, especially as a finishing 
coat over a first-class priming coat such as our No. 31 Red Oxide. It 
has a record of over 25 years as the Standard Bridge Paint of the Norfolk 
& Western Ry. Four thousand gallons of No. 16 were used on the large 
coaling pier of this road, erected at Norfolk, Va., in 1913, and over four 
thousand gallons were used on their new ten thousand ton bridge over 
the Ohio River at Kenova, W. Va. 

Several of the divisions of the Pennsylvania Lines both East and 
West of Pittsburgh have used No. 16 continuously for over 35 years 
in connection with No. 31 as a priming coat, and in some of the shops 
of this road, Nos. 16 and 31 are regularly carried in stock. 

The Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio used over 7,000 gallons of Nos. 16 
and 401 Carbon Paints (in addition to our No. 400 Carbon Black used 
by the bridge companies for the same work) in 1907-1909, and only 
started to repaint some of the bridges with the same paints in 1913-1914. 

The Boston & Albany R. R. recently specified No. 16 for several 
bridges, together with our No. 31 Red Oxide and No. 300 Suspended 
Red Lead as shop coats. They also used these paints on their new piers 
in Boston. 

The Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. purchased several thousand gallons of 
No. 16 for use on bridges during 1913-1914. It has been the standard 
bridge paint of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh since 1908. 

No. 16 over No. 31 withstands tropical conditions better than any 
other paint. 

All bridges of the Union Traction Co., of Indiana, are painted with 
No. 16. It is used by other large interurban systems, among which the 
Buffalo, Lockport & Rochester Ry., and Empire United Rys. have used 
large quantities for bridges. 

Several great trunk lines of the West have used No. 16 extensively. 
Among these are the Chicago Great Western; C. M. & St. P.; C. I. & S.; 
C. C. C. & St. L.; D. R. I. & N. W., and many others. 

Many county and city bridges are coated with No. 16, and we mention 
among these the city bridges in Roanoke, Va.; Binghamton, N. Y., and 
Springfield, Mass. A number of bridges of Passaic County, N. J., were 
painted in 1914 with No. 16 over a priming coat of No. 31. 

No. 16 has been used as a protective coating for the structural steel 
of some of the largest buildings in the country. The Pennsylvania Steel 
Co. and Bethlehem Steel Co. have used large quantities on their own 
buildings, as well as on structures for their customers, and the American 
Bridge Company and other large steel erectors purchase thousands of 
gallons of it every year. 

The average covering capacity of No. 16 on metal is about 850 square 
feet per gallon, one coat. 


40 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


No. 31. 

IMPORTED RED OXIDE OF IRON. 

This paint is better known to our old customers as “Williamsport 
Red.” Like No. 16, it has been manufactured by us since 1876, and has 
the longest records for durability of any oxide paint made. The 
leading pigment in it is especially prepared for us, and is an imported 
high-grade natural oxide of iron. The chief vehicle is pure linseed oil. 
While No. 31 is moderate in price, we have no hesitancy in stating that 
there is no paint on the market today which will give better protection, 
regardless of cost. 

Iron Oxide has long been considered one of the best inhibitors of 
corrosion, and careful tests demonstrate that a paint film, the pigment 
of which consists of this material, is one of the best excluders of moisture, 
which, of course, is the great agent of corrosion. In other words, prac¬ 
tically all paint films are more or less porous. A film of pure linseed oil 
is highly porous, but the addition of pigments to the linseed oil decreases 
the porosity. Some pigments are more effective in this than others, and 
iron oxide is most effective of all. The addition of a small amount of 
gums to the vehicle also aids the resistance of the paint to the passage 
of moisture. No. 31 has proven these statements under long practice, and 
the fact that it has been adopted by over 60% of all the gas companies in 
the United States, for use on their gas holders, proves its high resistance 
to moisture, and also the long life of this paint under the severest con¬ 
ditions—alternate wetting and drying, and expansion and contraction. 

For most locations, we suggest using No. 31 for the shop or priming 
coat. We recommend the use of this paint in preference to a red lead 
paint for the reasons that No. 31 is easier to apply and remains in better 
suspension than red lead. It costs less and has greater spreading power 
than red lead, and will, under usual conditions, give as much protection 
to the metal as a red lead paint. Owing to the heavy nature of the red 
lead pigment and its tendency to settle in the package, it makes a very 
difficult paint to apply, and none but a skilled painter can apply it satis¬ 
factorily. A high-grade oxide paint, like our No. 31 which is easy to 
apply, will, therefore, produce the most satisfactory results in practically 
all cases. 

No. 31 is especially recommended as a finishing coat on steel exposed 
to brine drippings from refrigerator cars, etc. 

The Florida East Coast Ry. adopted No. 31 as their shop coat for 
bridges after long-time exposure tests against several well-known paints, 
including red lead. Many of these bridges extend over salt water, and are 
subjected to extremely hard conditions, both from sun and water. 

The Poughkeepsie bridge, when first erected, was painted with No. 31 
and it stood seven years before requiring repainting, when it was given a 
coat of graphite, and in three years was repainted again. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


41 


Kenton Avenue Bridge, Cincinnati, Ohio, built in 1896, was painted 
with three coats of our No. 31 when built, and the paint kept in good 
condition for ten years without repainting. 

All the bridges of the Indiana Harbor Railroad were painted in 1905 
and 1906 with two coats of No. 31. 

The Boston & Albany R. R. has specified No. 31 as the shop coat for 
several bridges, followed by No. 16 Carbon Black. 

The United Fruit Co. has purchased many thousand gallons of No. 31 
for use on steel located in Central America, where exposure is very 
severe. 

Mr. O. F. Nichols, formerly chief engineer of the New York Bridge 
Department, when engineer of construction of the Suburban Elevated 
Railroad, used our No. 31 on all work over the New Haven Railroad 
tracks. He examined the paint after ten years of exposure, and said: 

“Your paint has made a good showing, and I believe it to be the best 
oxide of iron paint made, and while I am on record as a red-lead advocate, 
from my experience with each, when doing work for myself, taking cost, 
covering capacity and durability into consideration, I would give No. 31 
the preference.” 

All of the bridges of the West Shore Railroad were painted with No. 
31 in 1888 to 1891, thousands of gallons being used, and in 1905, on 
many of these bridges, the paint was still in good condition, after fifteen 
years’ wear. The Vandalia Lines, P. R. R., used this paint for years 
on all their bridges with great satisfaction. 

The Pennsylvania Railroad is using No. 31 as the first coat for 
bridges on several of its divisions. 

The Highway Lift Bridge erected by the Pennsylvania Steel Company 
for the Cape Cod Canal near Bourne, Mass., was painted in the field with 
No. 31 in 1911. 

No. 31 was used as a priming coat under a coat of No. 16 Carbon 
Black on bridges of the Empire United Rys. during 1913-1914. 

The Virginia-Carolina Ry. Co. used No. 31 for retouching their 
bridges before applying No. 16 on all of these structures in 1913. 

The large bridge between So. Wilkesbarre and Plymouth, Pa., was 
given a coat of No. 31 before using our No. 38 Green Graphite as the 
finishing coat. 

All of the city bridges in Cohoes, N. Y., were painted with two 
coats of No. 31 in 1910, and are still in excellent condition. 

No. 31 is extensively used on large industrial plants throughout the 
country, including such as The Westinghouse Air Brake Co.; Westing- 
house Machine Co.; Westinghouse Elec. & Mfg. Co.; New York & Penn¬ 
sylvania Co.; West Va. Pulp & Paper Co.; Ontario Power Co. of 
Niagara Falls; Canadian Niagara Power Co.; Niagara Falls Power Co.; 
Toronto Power Co.; Anaconda Copper Mining Co.; Garfield Smelting Co.; 
New York Edison Co.; Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Brooklvn; 


42 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


National Malleable Castings Co.; Mineral Point Zinc Co.; Proctor & 
Gamble Mfg. Co.; Garner Print Works & Bleachery; Shepard Electric 
Crane & Hoist Co., etc. 

Many architects and engineers regularly specify No. 31 for the struc¬ 
tural steel of office buildings, manufacturing plants, power houses, piers, 
etc., and it is also extensively used on wooden structures, as for instance, 
on all of the stations of the Norfolk Southern R. R. Co., where it is the 
standard station body paint with No. 20 Gray for the interior and trim. 

We have already referred to the fact that No. 31 is used on over 60% 
of all the gas holders in the United States. For this class of work we 
furnish No. 31 in a special form. Some Gas Companies have used 
No. 31 Gas Holder Paint continuously for over twenty-five years. We 
print below a letter received from the Chief Engineer of the Pacific Gas 
& Electric Co., which is still using No. 31 on all of their work: 

San Francisco, Cal., November 10, 1905. 

The only holders we are now building are one 1,000,000 feet and two 200,000 
feet holders, being built by the Davis & Farnum Mfg. Co., of Waltham, Mass., and 
these holders are painted with your No. 31 Gas Holder Paint, which I specify in 
every instance on account of its good qualities, and the fact that it has given me 
perfect satisfaction during the thirteen years which I have used it. I will also 
say that every holder in our system of seventeen gas works is being painted with 
your No. 31 Paint as fast as it is required. Very truly yours, 

E. C. Jones, 

Chief Engineer, Gas Dept. 

No. 31 will cover from 550 to 650 square feet per gallon, one coat. 

GRAPHITE PAINTS. 

We manufacture graphite paint in both the natural and other colors, 
the chief ones of which are: 

No. 32 Natural Graphite 
38 Green Graphite 
54 Graphite and Oxide 
56 Graphite and Oxide 
64 Acheson Artificial Graphite 
700 Graphite and Red Lead 

Graphite paints have been extensively advertised and have come to be 
well known and widely used. Our No. 32 represents the highest grade 
of paint it is possible to manufacture with graphite pigment. Its vehicle 
is pure linseed oil with the necessary high-grade special driers. Compara¬ 
tive analysis of the pigment of No. 32 and of the pigments of other 
well-known graphite paints, shows that the pigment of No. 32 is purer 
than any of the others, and in addition to this the pigment we use is of 
much finer texture—an important feature which contributes to its greater 
durability as well as its greater covering capacity. 

Graphite paint makes a very good protective coating for metal when 
used for the final coats over a suitable priming coat. It is not recom¬ 
mended to be used in direct contact with the metal, as it is not an 
inhibitor of corrosion. No. 31 Red Oxide should be used for the priming 
coat. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


43 


It must be confessed that, as compared with some other pigments, 
graphite has somewhat disappointed the expectations of paint manufac¬ 
turers in general, so far as durability is concerned. However, for certain 
classes of work, such as smoke stacks, bridges subjected to locomotive 
blasts, etc., excellent results are obtained. We furnish thousands of 
gallons of graphite paint to railroads and other large consumers, and 
recommend No. 32 Natural Graphite as the best graphite paint on the 
market today. We have developed this coating for metal with the same 
careful study and long experience as our other “Technical Paints for 
Metal.” The American Bridge Co., Pennsylvania Steel Co., Bethlehem 
Steel Co., Phoenix Bridge Co., Berlin Construction Co., and other bridge 
and structural concerns purchase large quantities for their work and other 
prominent users of our graphite paints include: 


Alabama & Vicksburg Ry. 
Anaconda Copper Mining Co., 
Didier-Ma.rch Co. 

Riter-Conley Mfg. Co. 

Marion County (Iowa)—all bridges 
Louisville & Nashville R. R. 
Garfield Smelting Co. (Utah) 
Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific 
R. R. 


American Car & Fdry. Co. 

Atlas Portland Cement Co. 

New York & New England Cement 
and Lime Co. 

Alan Wood Iron & Steel Co. 
Vicksburg National Military Park 
Commission 
U. S. Government 


Our No. 32 Natural Graphite is usually made from the Mexican 
graphite pigment, as our tests have proved that for most locations this 
pigment gives the best results. 

We, however, carry regularly in stock in addition to the Mexican 
graphite, the Acheson artificial graphite pigment, and are prepared to 
give to our customers their choice of any graphite pigment that can be 
purchased. 

This artificial graphite is made principally from anthracite coal, treated 
in electric furnaces at a very high degree of heat, and air-floated. 

Graphite paint will cover from 750 to 850 square feet per gallon, 
one coat. 


No. 250. 

PURE BLUE LEAD. 

Blue Sublimed Lead is a product obtained by the smelting of non- 
argentiferous lead ore. Sublimed lead is made in two colors—White, suit¬ 
able for all purposes that the corroded white lead is used for, and Blue, 
which is preferable as a paint for iron. They are both prepared in special 
furnaces, the process is the same in principle as that used in manufacturing 
oxide of zinc, and the use of “fume” from lead smelting is very old, and 
is mentioned as far back as 1778. 

The chemical composition of sublimed lead is sulphate and anhydrous 
oxide of lead, both amorphous; there is a small percentage of zinc in the 
Missouri lead ores, which in the process of smelting is converted into zinc 


44 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


oxide and is found in the sublimed lead product, and the Blue Lead also 
contains a percentage of carbon obtained from the fuel used. 

In making sublimed white lead, Connellsville coke is used as a fuel, 
while the blue lead owes its color to the lead sulphide and carbonaceous 
matter from the bituminous coal used as a fuel in the smelting furnaces. 
These furnaces are heated to a white heat of 2000 degrees F., which 
reduces the ore to a fume or vapor; this vapor is blown through a series 
of chambers and deposits on suspended bags, the dust is then washed and 
treated and becomes either sublimed white or blue lead, depending mainly 
upon the fuel used. Being a pyrogenic-formed substance, it is not affected 
by heat or deleterious gases of the atmosphere or factories, and par¬ 
ticularly is not affected by sulphur and carbonic gases which so quickly 
destroy red lead. 

We especially recommend No. 250 for first coating, and No. 31 for 
finishing coats on copper works, steel coal cars, gas holders, crude oil 
tanks, tank cars, tank steamers and other locations where subjected to 
extreme exposure to gases and the weather. As rust does not progress 
under blue lead, it makes a valuable shop coat paint where the iron or 
steel is to be shipped a long distance and exposed to abrasions, salt air, 
gas fumes, etc. On the test fences at Atlantic City, blue lead was shown 
to be one of the best priming coats and this bears out our own experience 
with this pigment. 

The structural iron work in the Woodbridge Building, New York, is 
finished with a shop coat and one field coat of our No. 250 Blue Lead, 
and one gallon on that job covered with two coats over 400 square feet. 
The large grain elevators at Montreal are finished with blue lead. 

No. 250 Blue Lead is displacing red lead as a priming coat for gas 
holders. Among the large number of plants on which it has been used 
are holders for the Pacific Gas & Electric Co.; Portland (Ore.) Gas Light 
Co.; Seattle Lighting Co.; Tacoma Gas & Electric Co.; Western United 
Gas & Electric Co. (Illinois) ; Ft. Wayne Gas Co.; New Orleans Lighting 
Co.; Chattanooga Gas Co.; Atlantic City Gas Co.; Easton (Pa.) Gas 
Works; Hartford City Gas Lt. Co.; Fall River Gas Co., and others. 

Blue lead is furnished by us in paste form or in a mixed state all 
ready for use, and will cover about 600 to 700 square feet per gallon, 
one coat. 


SUSPENDED RED LEAD. 

We manufacture ready mixed red lead paints containing any per¬ 
centage of red lead desired up to 85 per cent. Our No. 300 Suspended 
Red Lead is guaranteed to contain a larger percentage of pure red lead 
than any other ready-mixed red lead paint on the market. 

We are constantly testing all of the leading brands of red lead for 
purity, durability, shade and suspension and in buying No. 300 you are 
assured of getting the best red lead pigment combined with the purest 
linseed oil. It is not reasonable to expect good results after mixing dry 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


45 


red lead by hand for a few minutes. When the order is received we mix 
it thoroughly by machinery, and guarantee its good suspension, and its 
easy stirring up for six months after the date of shipment; if found 
otherwise, it can be returned at our expense. 

A large western city which paints most of its bridges with red lead, 
using it in the natural color for the finishing coat, tried No. 300 on several 
new bridges. The City Bridge Engineer informed us they are getting 
much greater durability than with red lead used in the old way and it 
was for this reason they asked the Bridge Company to use it. 

It has been found in the experience of engineers, architects and in¬ 
spectors even after the greatest care has been exercised, that in specifi¬ 
cation contract work,—unsatisfactory results are obtained more often with 
red lead than with any other kind of paint. One of the most noted 
bridge engineers in the country informed us that while he believed in the 
durability of red lead, he had given up specifying it because almost all 
of his red lead jobs turned out poorly. 

The experience around New York and Chicago during the past fifteen 
years, where specifications on a large amount of bridge work called for 
33 to 36 pounds of red lead to the gallon of oil has proven the mistake 
of using so much lead. Most of the bridges were in bad condition after 
three years, the paint scaling off, and the color, which was originally a 
medium brown by the addition of lampblack, has faded to a dirty gray. 
Several of the bridges have been repainted inside of four years but not 
again with red lead. 

The Lehigh Valley R. R. specified No. 300 Suspended Red Lead on 
a number of new bridges during the past few years, in connection with 
our No. 401 and No. 400 Carbon Black in the field. 

The new coaling pier of the Boston & Albany R. R. in Boston 
was given a shop coat of No. 300, with No. 16 in the field, on the 
specification of the railroad’s engineering department. 

The Eastman Kodak Co. has adopted No. 300 as its standard shop 
coat on all steel and ironwork used in their buildings. 

The structural steel of several piers in New York has been painted 
with our Suspended Red Lead, and we have also furnished it for similar 
work in other cities, including Havana, Cuba, and San Juan, Porto Rico. 

We also use in combination with red lead other pigments such as 
carbon, graphite, lampblack, red and brown oxides. 

No. 300 Red Lead will cover about 500 square feet per gallon, one coat. 


No. 400. 

CARBON BLACK. 

This paint has well-known records of over twenty-five years’ standing, 
and contains a larger percentage of carbon black than our No. 16. We 
recommend No. 400 for overhead bridges crossing railroad tracks, 


46 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


especially where three field coats of paint are to be applied. Where only 
two field coats are applied we can obtain longer service at a lower cost 
by using No. 16. 

We make No. 400 in three shades: 

No. 400—Carbon Black. 

No. 401—Dark Brown—Carbon and Oxide. 

No. 402—Medium Brown—Carbon and Oxide. 

Thus a different color can be obtained, if desired for each coat, as is 
now quite a common practice among engineers in painting important work. 

No. 400 is in use on bridges of the following railroads: Atchison, 
Topeka & Santa Fe Ry., Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Ry., Chicago 
Great Western Ry., Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Ry., Cleveland, Cin¬ 
cinnati, Chicago & St. Louis R. R., Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, Penn¬ 
sylvania Lines West, Cumberland Valley R. R., N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R., 
C. C. & O. R. R., Lehigh Valley R. R., Niagara Junction R. R. 

On one of these roads a number of bridges directly in the heart of 
Chicago, where they are subjected to extremely severe conditions, were 
repainted in 1898 and 1899 with No. 400, and most of them were again 
painted during 1905, 1906 and 1907, giving No. 400 a record for wear of 
six to eight years under severe exposure. 

No. 400 in the black color is a strong jet black, and when applied 
furnishes a brilliant lustre which keeps bright for a long time. 

No. 400 covers about 850 square feet per gallon, one coat. 

Nos. 401 and 402 cover 650 to 700 square feet per gallon, one coat. 

No. 625. 

GALVANIZED IRON PRIMER. 

The proper painting and protection of galvanized metal has been one 
of the most difficult problems for the master painter. Permanent pro¬ 
tection is not provided for by the galvanizing process, and painting must be 
resorted to in order to properly protect the metal. The peculiar, greasy na¬ 
ture of a zinc-coated metal prevents the proper adhesion of ordinary paints, 
so that peeling and blistering takes place. In order to secure better 
results, a number of different methods of treatment of the metal are 
used. These preliminary treatments are unnecessary when the proper 
paint is used for the priming coat. 

No. 625 Galvanized Iron Primer is a paint manufactured by us, 
especially for use on new or old galvanized iron, and will give a coating 
that is extremely durable, adhering firmly to the metal. We do not know 
of a single case where No. 625 has peeled or blistered. 

The special vehicles of No. 625 Galvanized Iron Primer are acid-proof, 
and obtain a firm hold on the smooth, greasy surface of galvanized iron. 
The pigment is principally white lead and special silicious materials of 
sharp, angular form, which, when applied with a brush, slightly scratch 
the hard, smooth surface of the metal, and enables the paint to get a 
firm grip, which the varnish vehicles will retain. 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


47 


After applying a coat of No. 625, any of our paints can be used over 
it without fear of peeling; or No. 625 can be used for the finishing coat. 

No. 625 GALVANIZED IRON PRIMER is furnished in gray, black, 
red, brown or practically any color, except pure white, and is suitable for 
finishing coats as well as for priming. It is especially recommended for 
finishing coats on buildings which are subjected to fumes that are 
injurious to linseed oil paints. 

It has been used by railroads with success, and is also on a number 
of large piers over salt water, and we especially recommend it for salt 
water exposure. 

No. 625 comes ready for use, and will cover about 650 square feet to 
the gallon, one coat. 

No. 700. 

RED LEAD AND GRAPHITE. 

It is well known that a paint made with a combination of pigments 
is superior in wearing qualities to one in which only one kind of pigment 
is used. This fact explains why our No. 700 Red Lead and Graphite gives 
longer service than any straight graphite or red lead paint. 

The graphite used in No. 700 is the best and purest that can be 
obtained, while the red lead is the same as is used in our No. 300 Sus¬ 
pended Red Lead. 

No. 700 is recommended for the protection of steel subjected to very 
damp conditions, such as the lower portions of bridges, pen-stocks, wheel- 
pits, etc. (See article on “Power Plants” page 35.) 

For general bridge painting where a red lead paint is desired there is 
no paint made based on lead or graphite that will give service equal to 
No. 700. The L. & N. R. R. painted a sample bridge in 1904 with No. 700, 
using it as a test against their own hand-mixed red lead, and the record 
it made was so good that in 1909 and 1910 they ordered 3,200 gallons of it. 

In a test of four paints on a bridge of a prominent railroad in the 
West which hauls many refrigerator cars, one a graphite paint, one a 
carbon, one a varnish paint, and the other our No. 700, it was found, 
after five years’ wear with no retouching whatever, that No. 700 stood 
the best of the four, on the floor members which received brine drippings 
from passing refrigerator cars. We must confess, however, that we have 
equally as good a report on ouri No. 31—on a similar test made on a 
prominent railroad bridge in the East; and the cost of No. 31 is less. 

No. 700 will cover about 600 square feet per gallon, one coat. 

No. 755. 

SUBWAY BLACK. 

Within recent years it has been recognized that the final coat of paint 
on steel which is to be enclosed in concrete, should not contain linseed 
oil, as lime and alkalies cause saponification of the oil, especially in the 
presence of moisture. 

For this reason we formulated our No. 755 Subway Black, which 
contains no linseed oil. The vehicle used is especially prepared for this 


48 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


paint and is not injuriously affected by contact with concrete. This paint 
is used by a number of engineers and architects, and is highly recom¬ 
mended by us for use as the final coat on structural steel, which is to 
receive an encasement of concrete. The shop or priming coat should 
consist of a high-grade inhibitive paint made with linseed oil, such as our 
No. 31 Williamsport Red Oxide, which is in turn protected from the 
concrete by a field coat of No. 755. No. 755 is moisture proof, and 
guards against electrolytic corrosion as it is highly resistant to electric 
currents. 

Among the more important buildings on the steel of which No. 755 
Subway Black has been used, is the magnificent Greenbrier Hotel at 
White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., shown on page 27. 



NATIONAL MARINE PAINTS. 

We manufacture a full line of Marine Paints, such as our: 

National Copper Paints—all shades. 

National No. 1 Anti-Corrosive. 

National No. 2 Anti-Fouling. 

National Topping Paints—all shades. 

National Yacht White. 

National Marine Black. 

National Deck Paints—all shades. 

WAR DEPARTMENT. 

Office of the Chief of Ordnance., Washington, May 14, 1907. 
Cheesman & Elliot, 100 William Street, New York City. 

Gentlemen: 

I am instructed by the Chief of Ordnance to enclose herewith a copy of report 
of the test of the paint therein referred to. A circular letter has been written 
to the ordnance establishments, authorizing them to consider your No. 32 gray graphite 
in competition with other paints for use on seacoast guns. It is, of course, understood 
that the paint they are authorized to consider shall be the same as that tested. 

Very respectfully, 

(Signed) Lawson M. Fuller, Major, Ord. Dept., U. S. A. 

For the past seven years, we have sold the U. S. Government 
thousands of gallons of Sea Coast Gun Paint. 







TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


49 



UNITED RAILWAYS OF HAVANA TERMINAL STATION. 

Kenneth R. Murchison, Architect. Erected by Snare & Triest Co., 1911. 
Cheesman & Elliot’s paints in various shades used on the structure, which cost 
about $3,000,000. 


STRUCTURAL STEEL PAINTS. 

The proper painting of the structural steel of large buildings is an 
important matter, and many engineers and architects are regularly speci¬ 
fying “Cheesman & Elliot’s” protective paints for this class of work. 

In the majority of cases No. 31 Red Oxide (page 40) is used as the 
shop coat, and followed in the field by one or more of the following: 
No. 16 Carbon Black (page 37), No. 54 or No. 56 Oxide and Graphite 
(these paints are practically identical with No. 31, except for the addition 
of sufficient graphite to give a distinguishing color. See page 42), No. 32 
Natural Color Graphite (page 42), or No. 755 Subway Black (page 47). 
Also see sample specifications on pages 9 and 10. 

Our No. 300 Suspended Red Lead (page 44) is also specified to a 
considerable extent for shop coats where it is desired to use this pigment. 

Our first recommendation for the field coat is No. 16, excepting where 
the steel is to be enclosed in concrete, when No. 755 Subway Black should 
be used as the final coat. 

For three-coat work No. 54 or No. 56 are suggested as the inter¬ 
mediate of first field coat. 

Among the large structures on the steel of which our coatings have 
been used are: 

Fischel Building, 23rd St., Kinsella Apartment Houses, 122nd & 
Riverside Drive; Hall Apartment House, 90th St.; Twin Apartment 





50 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


Houses for Carlysle Realty Co., 110th St.; Carnegie Apartment Houses, 
111th St.; Loft Building for Lordi & DeRespiris Construction Co., 13th 
St. & Fourth Ave.; Substations of the New York Edison Co. on 26th, 
41st, 84th and 140th Streets, and on Hunts Point Road; Fifth Avenue 
Building, 23rd St. & Fifth Ave.; Neptune Building, E. 27th St.; Office 
Building on Fourth Ave. & 18th St.; J. M. Horton Building, 24th St.; 
Two Apartment Hotels on W. 72nd St.; Apartment House on Park Ave.; 
Loft Building, 45th St.; Second Avenue Car Barns; Strand Theatre and 
Office Building, Broadway & 47th St.; Brooklyn Trust Co. Building, all in 
New York City. 

Public Schools of New York City and Chicago, Ill.; Southern Rail¬ 
road Office Building, Washington, D. C.; Depew Place Wing of Grand 
Central Terminal, New York; N. Y. C. & H. R. RR. Car Sheds, West 
Albany, N. Y.; Plants of, General Electric Company, Lynn, Mass.; Fac¬ 
tory of American Ever-Ready Company, Long Island City; Gregg Com¬ 
pany, Lodi, N. J.; Atlas Portland Cement Company; Hershey Chocolate 
Company, Hershey, Pa.; Westinghouse Air Brake Co.; Farrel Foundry 
& Machine Co., Ansonia, Conn.; Pennsylvania Water & Power Co.; 
Harlan & Hollinsworth Co., Wilmington, Dela.; Alsens Portland Cement 
Co.; Alan Wood, Iron & Steel Co.; Anaconda Copper Mining Co.; Gar¬ 
field Smelting Co.; Orford Copper Co.; Ducktown Sulphur, Copper & 
Iron Co.; Tennessee Copper Co.; Didier-March Co.; Eastman Kodak 
Co.; Ulster Iron Works, Dover, N. J.; Lehigh Navigation & Electric Co., 
Hauto, Pa.; Niagara Falls Power Co.; Ontario Power Co.; Toronto 
Power Co.; Canadian Niagara Power Co.; Goff Building, Clarksburg, 
W. Va.; Union Station, Havana, Cuba; White Building, Seattle; Court 
House, Schenectady; Court Building, Nashville; Chicago Post Office; 
Wellington Building, Boston; Woodbridge Building, New York; Savoy 
Hotel, New York; Corn Building, New York; Goelet Building, New 
York; Frankel Building, New York; Ferry House, 39th St., Brooklyn 
(Dept, of Docks & Ferries of New York City) ; Boston & Albany R. R. 
Pier, Boston; Palais Royal Building, Washington, D. C.; Theatre Build¬ 
ing, Providence, R. I.; Car Barns of Springfield Railways Co., Springfield, 
Ohio; Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. 


NaPaWork INTERIOR FLAT FINISHES and “SUN- 
WITE” MILL ENAMEL. 

NaPaWork Flat Finishes dry without gloss and produce a soft-tone 
coating of great durability, which can be easily cleaned by washing. 
They are furnished in all colors and by a proper selection, artistic, warm 
effects are obtained on walls, ceilings, etc., of office buildings, hotels, 
hospitals, schools and residences. 

As the cost of NaPaWork Flat Finishes is moderate, they are exten¬ 
sively used also in industrial plants of all descriptions, especially No. 57 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


51 


NaPaWork Flat White. We quote the following extracts from an 
article entitled “Cutting Factory Costs,” in the November, 1912, issue 
of “System” : 

“WHITE PAINT ECONOMICS 

“Repeated tests have shown that white paint and white paper will reflect approxi¬ 
mately eighty per cent, of the light which strikes its surface. A plain unpainted 
board wall will reflect only about twenty per cent. Dark walls, such as may be 
covered w r ith dirt, dust, oil or dark paint will reflect but four or five per cent, of the 
light which strikes them. The difference in the amount of light reflected in a factory 
with white walls and ceiling and one with dark walls, may be as much as seventy-five 
per cent. Many manufacturers go to great expense to increase their illumination ten 
or twelve per cent, by additional lights and fixtures when much better results could 
be obtained by using white paint on the factory wall and ceilings. White paint has 
been found to be not only less expensive than the installation and maintenance of 
more artificial illumination, but its reflecting coat will give tone to the whole building. 

“In one small plant four or five years ago, for instance, it was noticed that 
after the inside had been painted, the average length of a working day, during which 
no artificial illumination was required, w&s increased by one and one-half hours. It was 
further noted that the electrical power required gave the same illumination when de¬ 
creased one-third. Either of these savings was more than sufficient to pay for the 
painting of this building during the first year. 

“In one or two shoe factories equally good results were obtained. As an 
experiment, one part of a room was painted white. The contrast was remarkable. 
Workmen in the unpainted section requested that their part be painted. The new 
paint seemed to more than double the light. The operatives then noticed the windows 
were dirty and requested that they be kept clean. All this not only decreased the 
amount of light needed during artificial lighting hours, but also decreased the length 
of time that artificial light was required. 

“Another marked effect of white paint in this case was to improve to a con¬ 
siderable extent the illumination on the machines from all directions. Before the 
white paint was put on practically no light was reflected from the walls, ceilings or 

posts, and the machines received light from but one direction. But the white paint 

largely eliminated shadows and brought about a general increase in the amount of 
work done and an improvement in its character. 

“White paint, like light, has a police value in the factory. If you have a dark 
corner that is always dirty, paint the walls white.” 

Progressive concerns recognize not only the importance of interior 
white paints, but also the economy of using a durable paint that can be 
kept bright and clean by washing. No. 57 is suitable for use on brick, 
concrete and plaster, as well as wood and metal, and is recommended 

as the highest grade interior white paint on the market. As it has no 

gloss, there is no glare or reflections to try the eyes. 

Where a gloss white finish is preferred, our “Sun-Wite” Mill Enamel 
is recommended. Like No. 57 Flat White, “Sun-Wite” Mill Enamel is 
permanent in whiteness, and this is a feature lacking in some of the so- 
called similar paints on the market. For specifications see page 10. 

Among the large users of our interior white coatings may be men¬ 
tioned the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. (several mills), New York 
& Pennsylvania Co. (several mills), Highland Paper Co., Shepard Crane 
& Hoist Co., Westinghouse Machine Co., Westinghouse Air Brake Co., 
Westinghouse Elect. & Mfg. Co., Garner Print Works & Bleachery, Gen¬ 
eral Electric Company, etc. 

N. P. W. PREPARED PAINTS FOR BUILDINGS, 
STATIONS, FREIGHT CARS, ETC. 

Our standard prepared paints for wooden structures are made of 
the best and purest pigments with the necessary coloring matter, ground 
and thinned with only pure linseed oil and the necessary driers. The 


TECHNICAL PAINTS FOR METAL 


proportions of the mixtures are scientifically adjusted to suit the conditions 
of each job in accordance with our custom of making everything to order. 

We furnish large quantities of these paints for railroad stations, 
industrial plants, company houses, etc. The Norfolk Southern Railroad 
has adopted our No. 31 as their standard exterior station paint, and No. 
20 for the interiors. The National Railways of Mexico adopted Nos. 18 
and 20, and among the other railroads using our station paints, the United 
Railways of Havana purchase thousands of gallons each year. 

SPECIFICATION PAINTS. 

Another large department of our business is the manufacture of paints 
on specifications furnished by our customers. We are equipped to 
furnish promptly paints made in strict accordance with any specification 
for any kind of work, and are making daily shipments of specification 
paints to railroads and other customers. 

ELEVATED RAILWAYS. 

With but one exception, we have supplied paint for every elevated 
railroad structure in the United States. During 1905-1906 we furnished 
over 20,000 gallons to the Brooklyn Elevated and in 1914 it had not 
been repainted. 


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